Fears held for Tree of Knowledge's survival

[apothecary]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200605/s1642941.htm

Queensland's Department of Primary Industries (DPI) says it may be a month or more before it knows whether the historic Tree of Knowledge at Barcaldine will survive.

The 200-year-old ghost gum - known as the birthplace of the Australian Labor Party - has been poisoned.

It is believed 30 litres of weed killer was poured on the tree.

Authorities are leaching the soil around the tree to remove any remaining herbicide.

John Chapman from the DPI says it is unlikely the tree will survive.

"Because of the delay between any act of putting the chemical on the ground around the tree and the symptoms showing... unfortunately the tree absorbs a tremendous amount of whatever chemical it is and we're simply unable to move that," he said.

"So we're coming in late in an attempt to treat it."

Federal Labor leader Kim Beazley says the poisoning is a shocking attack on an historic landmark.

"It was the birthplace of a number of actions put in place to ensure that ordinary Australians gained their democratic rights in the workplace, and so the poisoning of it is a tragedy in historical terms," Mr Beazley said.

The President of Barcaldine's ALP branch says the poisoning may have been done by someone who dislikes the party.

Pat Ogden says he hopes the person or group responsible is found.

"It's an icon for all Australia because it's just been heritage listed and it had a great infinity with the great shearers strike in 1891," Mr Ogden said.

[Dodie]

Bloody sickening

Anyone who would do such an act is against the average everyday worker imo.

Hope they catch them and put their feet in a foot bath of agent orange...

[apothecary]

I wasn't so concerned with the human connotations of the tree, but the kind of person who would pour a crapload of glysophate on a 200 year old native tree is the kind of person that deserves repeated kicks to the groin.

[indigo264nm]

I wasn't so concerned with the human connotations of the tree, but the kind of person who would pour a crapload of glysophate on a 200 year old native tree is the kind of person that deserves repeated kicks to the groin.

Screw kicking them in between - just cut the fucking things off.

[alkatrope]

Despicable

[CaptAmazing]

OK. the people who did it suck balls.

Now it's time to move on. Perhaps we should petition the government to plant 200 new trees in the area to replace the 200 years it was there.

i dont know. just throwing out ideas.

[PD.]

How the fuck can anyone, even a simple moron, gain any sort of satisfaction out of an act such as this.

It is just really fuckin sad.

utter utter bastard.

[foolsbreath]

Young Liberals?

Sounds like the thing a bunch of silly nerds with no relationship to the natural world would do, I mean they are right in to graffiti and active demonstrations, and I havn't met a liberal politician yet you really gives an arse about the environment, I mean old johnny's trying to get Canada to sign a charter for countries opposed to the Kyoto protocol, Can't they fucken see this worlds taking it's last breaths?

Fuck them

[Leo^]

And from the ashes of these neanderthals we shall rise..........

[indigo264nm]

Young Liberals?

Sounds like the thing a bunch of silly nerds with no relationship to the natural world would do, I mean they are right in to graffiti and active demonstrations, and I havn't met a liberal politician yet you really gives an arse about the environment, I mean old johnny's trying to get Canada to sign a charter for countries opposed to the Kyoto protocol, Can't they fucken see this worlds taking it's last breaths?

Fuck them

Good point... had some brush-ins with some wankers matching the following description and the funny thing is they were all anti americans to the extent that I started to like americans more. I got so fucking sick of them winging about GWB that it made me want to like him just to be against these wankers.

[Torsten]

I guess the good news is that a clone of the original tree was planted nearby a couple of years ago, so the historical side (and the tourism ) will be maintained.

[nabraxas]

It is believed 30 litres of weed killer was poured on the tree

that's alot ov weedkiller, i mean this was a planned attack rather than drunken hoons.

the utter bastards

[Gunter]

It was Al-Qaeda.

[devance]

In the U.S. a girl lived up in a [50 feet] giant redwood tree for six months as a protest on old growth Redwood tree logging.

After the girl left the tree it was professionaly chainsawed cut at the base about 3/4 to induce its demise.

So not a new payback type.

Instead of a U.S. Redwood its a Australian gum tree.

Just have to arise above such provacative actions.

Easier said than done but have to transform a act than would be a negative into a positive.

Like cloning the tree.

Otherwise 4 lashes with a bullwhip would be in order.