Fight over keeping massive gum tree that’s dropping branches on Colonel Light Gardens croquet club
PLAYERS at a croquet club in Adelaide’s south want protection from its dropping branches. Nearby residents want to keep it. Should this massive river red gum go — or stay?
CROQUET players at a Colonel Light Gardens club are jumping through hoops trying to preserve their greens from a mighty river red gum.
The 150-year-old eucalypt was slated for the chop after dropping a branch on the club’s gate last year but Mitcham Council is rethinking its decision.
Nearby residents want the tree to stay.
The club says that would mean the council coming up with some sort of branch-catching shelter.
Reade Park Croquet Club president Tom Mayer has urged the council to think smarter because keeping the tree would force the closure of part of the playing lawns.
“What we want is safety, but maybe the council needs to be more innovative … (because) we don’t want to see any removal of our greens,” he said.
He suggested the council install a steel shelter under the tree to protect people from falling branches.
The council is considering overturning its March decision to axe the 25-metre tree after a second arborist’s report showed it had environmental, heritage and aesthetic values.
An earlier arborist’s report said the tree was “structurally unsafe” and could drop branches.
The latest report said the risk could be managed by closing a section of the croquet club’s lawn, moving an entrance gate and shed, closing part of a footpath and banning parking under the tree.
The work would cost ratepayers $23,300.
Mr Mayer said the changes would mean the loss of one of two competition greens and “severely impact the viability of the club”.
He said the club often divided its greens into three smaller courts to accommodate players.
“If we only have one large court then a maximum of eight people can play at one time and we … pretty frequently have 24 wanting to play,” he said.
Flinders Ave resident Clive Nelson, who has lived opposite the tree for 46 years, said it had significant heritage value and was home to wildlife.
“The tree is in good condition and the risk is nowhere near what (is stated) in the first report,” Mr Nelson said. “It would be crazy to take the tree out.”
At a meeting last week, councillor Stephen Fisher said the tree had to be maintained. “It is such a special tree — I think it comes ahead of the small group of people in the croquet club,” he said.
The council will make a decision on the tree’s fate at a meeting next Tuesday.