News & Events
O’Connell Trees
Greening Bathurst fully supports the members of the O’Connell community in their ongoing battle with Oberon Council and the RTA to save their Memorial Avenue of trees from planned widening of the main road.
Their O’Connell Desert Ash Trees were planted after WWI to remember the 36 local men who went to war, ten of whom never came back. One of these trees was planted by the last Australian soldier to leave Gallipoli, Edward Gornall.
Oberon Council and the Roads and Traffic Authority want to tear down the trees on the Fish River side of the road to widen the thoroughfare in order to better accommodate timber trucks that use the road.
“The road is quite narrow and it doesn't meet the RTA's standards,” the director of engineering at Oberon Council, Lee Robins recently told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Local residents and tree-lovers have desperately fought the council's plans for more than a decade now and refuse to give up on the fight.
"This
is probably the toughest one we've faced, but we're very determined," resident
Peter Harrison told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"The O'Connell community painstakingly planted those trees - held working bees, watered them, maintained them. We owe it to them and to the servicemen and women to keep them alive."
This is not just a natural heritage issue about saving a group of old trees from the axe, but more importantly it is a cultural heritage issue as the community seeks to respect and honour its war heroes and especially the 10 brave men who made the ultimate sacrifice. For these important reasons these trees must be preserved.
The voices of the O’Connell residents are falling on the ‘deaf ears’ of the councilors and bureaucrats at Oberon Council and the RTA who are meant to be representing them and protecting their best interests. Local councils and government authorities should not be allowed to ‘ride rough shod’ over the passionately expressed will of a small and vibrant local community seeking to protect its local history and heritage - a history and heritage that belongs to all of us.
In place of road widening the residents of O’Connell are calling for a reduction in the speed limit through their village from its present 80 km per hour to 50 km per hour. The same speed restriction that applies to nearly all similar sized villages in the district. This is a very simple and cost effective solution and one that will save these important trees for decades to come. Oberon Council must listen to the will of the people on this issue.
Wayne
Feebrey,
Chairman Greening Bathurst
If you would like to help save these important local trees you can send a short email to the Mayor of Oberon Mr. Robert Hooper at council@oberon.nsw.gov.au
Visit the Save the Memmorial website at http://www.oconnellmemorial.com
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