Parliament Speech
Today I’m going to tell you a tale. This story is called “Kate and the Very Special Trees”.
Our tale begins hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
Once upon a time, a deep dark forest sprawled across the land. From Burnside to the Sturt River.
The forest was dense and thick – and it was dark. So so dark.
The forest was filled with all sorts of trees. Tall, tall trees reaching up to the blue sky, and little frail bushes hugging the earth – and all sorts of plants in between.
But one tree in particular prevailed. It was the hero of this forest.
The grey box eucalypt.
It’s blackened, coarse bark and its gnarled branches sprawled across the land. It’s limbs stretched up high and its leaves even higher to create a dense canopy .. it’s jet-black bark made up the undergrowth, and it shed to form the forest floor.
These trees – maybe millions of them – watched the generations come and go as they themselves came and went.
They saw native animals – big and small. They saw searing hot days – and even fires. They saw rain – and floods.
These grey boxes saw many things in their generations.
For 50 thousand years, the Kaurna people cared for this forest and used it for shelter, it was the site of many myths and dreamtime stories and a place of ceremony.
Then it was called Kerta Weeta – or ‘forest of the peppermint trees’.
Later it was called ‘The Black Forest’. Both names were in honour of those deep dark grey box trees.
After many centuries, two particular little trees sprouted. Right next to each other. It might have been 300 years ago. It could have been 500.
Those trees were big and strong by the time they witnessed Europeans arrive. For many years the Europeans didn’t venture into the forest – for it was deep and dark and scary.
It was so scary that soon the trees even saw bushrangers dodge between their trunks.
Then roads came – and the bushrangers did their worst – holding up travellers and robbing them.
No doubt there were many things – good and bad – those two trees witnessed as the Europeans settled.
Bit by bit the forest dwindled.
First a few houses were built, then orchards, then farms, then roads.
Then more and more trees were felled as the town grew and grew. It was such a lovely place, everyone wanted to live there.
Soon the trees were quite lonely with fewer of their friends surviving as long as they did.
Little did these trees know when they first sprouted that one day they’d be surrounded by a lovely school, a big park, houses, and flats – all built around them.
Still the trees grew.
Unaware they’d be last of their kind – the kind that was once part of The Black Forest.
But gradually, the neighbouring folks grew worried. They loved the trees. They knew they were very, very old. For many years they’d tried to protect the trees. They’d tried to get orders that the two trees should never be destroyed.
But alas – they had not succeeded.
One day the house that had sat beside them for many decades was put on the market. The owners who’d lovingly watered them and protected them behind a high fence for many decades had passed away. The property – with the two remnant trees - was set to be sold.
The townspeople were very worried. They feared big bad developers could buy the land and chop down the trees to build units and make lots of money.
A neighbour to the trees – named Kate Hubmayer – thought someone – anyone - should save the trees. And she was prepared to lead the fight.
She talked to the all the local folks. They wrote letters. They petitioned the council. They talked to journalists. But nothing much happened.
She told everyone the tale of the trees … and what a tragedy it would be for them to be chopped down.
Then one day, she told the tale of the trees to her local MP. The Member for Badcoe agreed the trees should be saved. It wasn’t fair for these grey box trees to endure so much, survive so long, and be the last remnants of The Black Forest that gave its name to their suburb – to suffer an uncertain fate.
The MP went to see her friends in the new Labor government. Everyone agreed the trees should not be killed. Her friend the Planning Minister Nick Champion issued a decree – that he would buy the land and save the trees. He put most of the property into the neighbouring school oval, known as Forest Avenue Reserve.
He then ruled the house would be sold, ensuring the townspeople could keep their very special trees and not have to pay too much.
The MP was delighted!
She told Kate – who was overjoyed! She’d fought so hard, for so long, to protect these two trees. To ensure their tale would be told to school children and local folks for many years to come.
The townspeople all rejoiced!
And everyone – including Kate and the Very Special Trees – lived happily ever after.
The End.