THE TWEED
Local MP Justine Elliot’s newsletter liftout
Volume 2 #24 Thursday, February 25, 2010 Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 Fax: (02) 6672 4933 editor@tweedecho.com.au adcopy@tweedecho.com.au www.tweedecho.com.au
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LOCAL & INDEPENDENT
Preserve our threatened fig!
Mayor defends delay in submitting report Ken Sapwell
Mary Todd (front) and her sister Vi Shoobridge are not happy that the historic fig tree (background) at Byangum planted by their pioneering grandfather Harry Hatton in memory of their father Richard could be chopped down. Photo Jeff ‘Fig Mince’ Dawson Luis Feliu
A granddaughter of one of the Tweed’s European pioneers has called for the preservation of a historic old fig tree at Byangum planted 112 years ago to mark her father’s birth. Mary Todd, of Bray Park, has joined the push by locals and other family members to preserve the Small Leafed Fig about a kilometre south of the Byangum bridge which Tweed Shire Council says will be removed soon due to the tree’s poor health and concerns over safety to motorists. The tree was planted by early Tweed blacksmith Harry Hatton to mark the birth of his son, Richard, who was Mary’s father. A council arborist said roadworks near the tree in recent years had led to compaction of half the tree’s root zone which affected its vigour, leaving it susceptible to disease. A lifelong Tweed resident, Mrs Todd wrote to council this week, saying she had a special interest and concern over
the tree as one of two surviving daughters of Richard James Hatton. ‘This tree means a great deal to me and the story of its planting was told to me over and over as a child. I understand the tree was given heritage listing and as such it seems to me every effort should be made to preserve it before taking the drastic step of cutting it down,’ she said.
Reputed to be very tough ‘I know a little about this type of fig tree. They are reputed to be very tough and have the ability to recover naturally from disease which would kill many other trees. As this type of fig encircles another tree and causes its host to die. The fig tree at Byangum was planted inside the stump of another tree.’ Mrs Todd has asked council to seek a second opinion on the need to cut the tree down without making every effort to preserve it. She has also asked to be notified by council when the
tree would be chopped down as she ‘would like to be present’. ‘It has been suggested to me that if the tree should be destroyed a plaque should be erected in its place, telling the story, also another tree of the same type of fig should be planted as close as possible to the original, preferably taken from the memorial tree. ‘This would be of interest not only to my sister, myself and other members of the Hatton family, but also to the residents of Byangum and would preserve historical records of Tweed Valley pioneers.’ Mary’s father Richard James Hatton, who died in 1963, was a trooper in the 6th Light Horse Regiment serving in Egypt and Palestine in the First World War. Another descendant of the pioneering Hatton family, Michael Harley, from Brisbane wrote to The Echo last week saying he had asked council staff to preserve the tree and urged locals to pressure council on the issue.
Tweed mayor Warren Polglase has defended his role in delaying staff submissions critical of the Cobaki Lakes and Kings Forest developments despite advice a decision on at least one the projects was ‘imminent’. Cr Polglase said he was confident the Department of Planning would not sign off on concept plans for either project before next month following the federal government’s 11thhour decision to intervene in Cobaki Lakes (see page 32). He also justified a rescission motion which put one submission on ice for a month and possibly killed off another, saying the inclusion of Cr Katie Milne’s request for an independent review of the two projects had already been examined in previous staff reports. ‘There is no need to ask for a review of things like low-cost housing, water usage and employment generating possibilities because they have all been done before,’ he said. ‘I can assure everyone that the submissions will be supported by the council next month and would have been supported 100 per cent if amendments calling for the review had not been included.
‘Plenty of time’ ‘The action by a federal department in calling-up Cobaki means it could be delayed for a further three or four months, providing plenty of time for us to get the staff submissions away at the next council meeting,’ he said. ‘I have checked it out and the delay won’t affect anything. I have spoken to our directors and the department of planning is fully aware of what is happening up here. They are also aware
the Feds have called up Cobaki.’ Cr Polglase conceded that a staff request for a deadline extension for a submission raising concerns about an application to begin earthworks at Cobaki would likely be a casualty of the rescission motion. ‘That may have to come off the recommendation because the 28-day (extension) may be absorbed by the time we deal with it - although the department is aware of it because it’s on our web page.’ Chief planner Vince Connell had urged the council to back an official request to extend the deadline for one of two submissions until March 17 after an officer in the department had refused a request by a council staffer.
‘Resourcing limitations’ Mr Connell said the submission, involving large areas of open space land being dedicated to council and stormwater management systems which staff say will impact on council infrastructure, couldn’t be prepared in time for the last meeting because of ‘resourcing limitations.’ Meantime a copy of the other submission, raising wide-ranging concerns about draft development control plans for the two projects, have been sent to Planning Minister Tony Kelly by at least two community organisations. Jeremy Cornford, a spokesman for the watchdog organisation Tweed Monitor, told Mr Kelly his group was disturbed that council should treat critical report from one of its own expert departments ‘in such a cavalier fashion’. ‘Among the concerns raised by planning director Vince Connell and his staff are the small size of the continued on page 2
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