A yoga moment!
12:00a.m. 25th August 2007
Damon Locantro had a yoga moment - and decided to see his tree in Orme Road, Buderim.
It was sometime between the “down dog” and “lotus” position that a thought struck Damon Locantro.
The tree should stay.
Midway through a yoga class on Wednesday night the Coast solicitor had a complete change of heart and decided not to chop down the 140-year-old fig tree on his new Buderim property.
“I started feeling a little bit of bad karma,” he said.
“The chain of events has slowed us down and given us time to think.”
Tree loppers first appeared on Orme Road last Thursday, much to the disgust of several residents.
Tears were shed and angry words exchanged as chainsaws sliced into the first branches, but work stopped when it was decided the contractor’s equipment was not strong enough to take on the fig.
Workers were due back on site this week, but then Mother Nature stepped in.
The torrential downpour across the Coast brought work to a standstill, which allowed enough time for Mr Locantro to have his epiphany.
“My wife and I considered whether we could be happy to live there for the rest of our lives knowing we had removed it when we could have managed it,” he said.
“We asked ourselves if we were going against the tide.”
He said the sprawling fig was one of the main reasons he had bought the Orme Road property.
“Without it our block is not unique, there’s nothing historical about it.”
Mr Locantro had planned to chop down the fig because of concern he would be held financially liable if a branch fell on a person or property.
He said that issue was still a concern, but he and his wife would address the matter over the long term.
Mr Locantro’s new neighbour Judy Wild said the way the tree had fared in the storms proved how unlikely it was to cause any danger to residents.
“It shows how healthy the tree is that nothing has happened to it in all these winds,” she said.
“It’s stopped so much bad weather from coming in on all those houses.”
Mr Locantro’s tree is one of three 140-year old figs along Orme Road, but is the only one positioned on private property.
Recent Comments
Finally commonsense prevails.....
As a "5th Generation Buderimite", it breaks my heart everytime I see a Development/er destroy another piece of Buderim's Natural History.
I've witnessed firsthand this exact scenario take place at my own neighbours property, only the outcome wasn't nearly as successful - Boo Hoo!
One day some "Fatcat", bought the typically large Buderim block, subdivided, built 2 townhouses (later to be sold off), whilst still residing in the original home on the property, right next door to a hundred year plus "Fig" - A Magnificent tree that borders our yard & has given my family generations of pleasure!!!
Then the Unthinkable happened....
He started chopping it down one day with powerful chainsaws, obviously to make way for his current "Unsightly" 3 Storey Concrete Mansion - I kid you not!
Within a week of "torturous" noise, it was gone, and all that stood before us was a stump the size of half my house!
Surely there was no way he could further remove this almighty stump?
Yes! Indeed!
He then employed a very large bulldozer to come in and try to pull it over using thick chains. Unsuccessful for nearly a week, the poor tree finally succumbed on the 5th day!
He then lit a "Massive Bonfire" underneath, which burnt for just as long.
All of which was done with out Council Approval or Fire Permits???
We did contact the Council, and we did call the Fire Station, but all they could do was issue a fine. So naturally, the "Fatcat" just wrote a cheque on the day???
Forgive me for sounding somewhat embittered, but I was born here! My Great Grandparents settled here back in the early 1930's when Buderim truly was a delightful & prosperous village where everyone knew each other by family name. My Grandmother worked many years at the Original Ginger factory. My Godmother's Grandfather, Mohammed Isaac, planted the aisle of Fig trees now known as "Wirreanda Park".
So when I read this story today, it was with a huge sigh of relief, that finally someone has restored a small yet significant chunk of my belief in humanity!
I'm not a greenie but for God's sake - Respect the Enviroment! Especially when it has been here longer than yourselves.......
Ask yourself, is it really worth it?
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