General News
22 February, 2024
Palm Trees to Go
Despite a surge of sentimental support for the palm trees in Davidson Park, Bogan Shire Council voted at its December meeting to go ahead with its original decision to remove them.
The six trees, planted 70-years-ago, were given a temporary reprieve from the chainsaw last month while councillors consulted with the community however, it was decided the December 2023 meeting that they would go.
Councillor Karl Bright sounded the death knell, proposing the motion they be removed given the slight majority of people who responded to the community survey, who wanted them gone. Council received 266 responses to its survey and the vote showed a community almost equally divided, with 53 percent agreeing they should be removed and 47 per cent wanting them to stay. “I think we should go with removing them because we took it to the public and the results are there,” Cr Bright said.
The resolution was seconded by Cr Richard Milligan who noted there were fallen palm fronds in Davidson Park after the storm on Wednesday night.
“If we were to keep the palms we need to act soon as to the safety of them,” he said, having previously told council the fronds had presented a risk to the public at past Carols in the Park services.
Bogan Shire Council’s general manager Derek Francis said it was not feasible for council staff to remove dead fronds before they fell as the trees were so tall. Councillor Greg Deacon voted to keep the trees which he said were a feature of Davidson Park and loved by the community members he consulted.
“Most people I spoke to were dead against removing them, so I was surprised the survey came out so even,” he said.
“They looked really good the other night at the Christmas markets, they really set it off.”
Following the vote, council agreed to involve the Donohoe family when planting replacement trees. It is thought the condemned trees were planted by Roy Donohoe in the 1940/50s at a time when palm trees were a popular landscaping choice for their architectural shape and ability to withstand dry conditions and wind.