Anderson Street trees cause outrage in this week's letters column
No mention about trees
I am responding to the news regarding the number of mature trees in Euroa that need to be removed from Anderson Street to accommodate the Inland Rail proposal. Many trees in other locations have already been taken out.
For about five years I have attended briefings, responded to surveys, engaged face-to-face, emailed points-of-view, and given feedback to Inland Rail about the Euroa proposal.
At no stage, despite my introducing the topic of the importance of trees, was tree removal raised.
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While I understand access and worksite areas are required, the proposed plans seem to me to be heavy-handed.
According to Dr Greg Moore, senior researcher at Melbourne University’s Burnley Campus and Chair of the National Trust of Victoria's Register of Significant Trees committee, every mature tree has a dollar value.
My suggestion is that for the trees that cannot be saved, a dollar value should be put on them.
That number needs to be replaced with good-sized well-established trees.
Built into this dollar value should be the provision for Strathbogie Shire outdoor staff to nurture the new plantings to ensure their survival.
Climate change is a reality; it’s no longer good enough to put a planting into the ground, and let it fend for itself.
Helen Donaldson, Euroa
Inland Rail juggernaut vague on details
Our engagement with the Inland Rail juggernaut has been a long and difficult road, and whilst there has been consultation, it seems many times there is a general sense of miscommunication until it is too late.
There are 'gates' that close upon a sequence of events with Inland Rail where agreement or understanding is perceived only to find the 'threshold' has moved and somehow missed - always at consequence to the community.
Inland Rail has a mandate to push a freight line through the eastern states to promote good freight movement whilst alleviating heavy road traffic - a great idea, and of recognised national importance.
There is a price though, and without the firm hand of council - our eyes and ears - things are passed over in the interest of achieving this big picture and its myopic goal.
In the many discussions with Inland Rail, the big picture does not include the community's aspirations.
We have lost the potential for a town square that becomes the centrepiece of the town both now and especially into the future.
We did not get a new station; the station is locked off to the public with no place to meet and greet visitors.
We do not have a strong, dedicated connection from Binney Street through the precinct.
Now we have been advised that despite being 'clearly informed', the 80-year-old plane trees which line Anderson St, and many in the surrounding edges, are to be removed.
These trees are a sacred icon to our town.
They frame our entry into the town, they shade our streets and clean our air.
Imagine them gone; who has said at the critical time 'no, this cannot happen' or 'give us another solution'?
These trees must not be sacrificed for a lazy solution to a problem.
Where has been the oversight to keep our community aspirations intact?
Who has been watching our back, making sure that we get the best future for the town?
Who is there to ensure that we are not overrun by the behemoth that is Inland Rail in their goal of achieving a worthy national project, at our expense?
It is not too late to stop the demolition and ask how we can save our trees and still achieve this national project.
Zvonko Orsanic, Euroa
Inland Rail regards as dispensable
Visiting my aunt Jean Willey in Anderson Street West in the 1960s was always fun.
She was proud of her heritage house and thought that she lived in the best part of town.
An avid gardener, Auntie Jean enjoyed her leafy green street trees and valued the shade the plane trees gave on scorching summer days.
Surprisingly little has changed in the streetscape over the decades as new owners renovate rather than demolish and the big old plane trees are considered, even more than previously, as a precious asset.
The suggestion that you can replace an 80-year or older tree with a new one is nothing short of absurd.
In this climate crisis, cooling the local environment is of overriding importance and achieving carbon neutrality by sequestering carbon a priority wherever it is possible. Older trees are carbon capture champions because the rate of sequestration of trees increases continuously with age.
Although the rate tapers off, it is a fact that older trees sequester more carbon than middle aged or young trees.
In addition the wood of older trees are incredible carbon sinks because wood is mostly made of carbon.
When trees are left to grow old the carbon remains locked in the wood, and importantly there are the ecosystem services each tree offers.
They create habitat for birds, insects, reptiles, and mammals and boost soil and water quality.
Sadly the many cultural, ecological and environmental values of an old tree are not shared by Inland Rail who claim they are dispensable.
Helen McKernan, Balmattum
Lines of least resistance
There are various lines of thought.
One is about a railway line.
Another is about a line of trees along both sides of Anderson Street.
When it comes to Inland Rail’s civil engineering, it appears these lines are mutually exclusive.
Their narrow vision deems the tree assets along Andersen Street must necessarily and conveniently be removed as part of construction of the new underpass.
These trees are viewed as being ‘the line of least resistance’, declaring they have no community value, environmental value, or infrastructure value.
That Inland Rail is relying on a poor, unimaginative, ignorant, and outdated design approach which dismisses the retention of tree assets by default, is appalling.
The community is not a line of least resistance.
Let’s get rid of the line in the sand where heads are buried, to mutually seek smarter outcomes for Euroa’s infrastructure development and established community assets.
Glenn Williams, Euroa
Not again
I remember watching the large old Elm trees in Binney Street being demolished.
Each tree had a seat surrounding their trunks and they stretched from Clifton to Railway Streets.
I watched the State Savings Bank, VPC, Stribling's Building on Railway Street Corner (once robbed by Ned Kelly), and Armstrong's Arcade all be demolished.
I was a child in the 60s and couldn’t understand it then and still fail to understand the irrationality of removing trees and history now.
Jillian Hayes, Euroa
Inland rail laziest engineers
If I want to live in Coburg or next to the Monash Freeway, I’ll move there.
I don’t need Inland Rail to bring it to my front door.
Yes, I’m a resident of Anderson Street, with an 80-year-old tree on my nature strip.
We were told by Inland Rail that only “one or two trees” would have to go – but now we learn that the whole lot are going, with no replacements here in Anderson Street.
Seriously, taking out all the trees must be one of the laziest engineering designs ever put forward.
The old drover’s dog can see this is so wrong.
People live in country towns for the tranquility and slow pace.
Please Inland Rail - don’t destroy our country towns.
David McNamara, Euroa
Removals never mentioned before
It seems excessive the number of trees that are going to be removed from Anderson Street to facilitate the new underpass.
Removal of trees was never mentioned in the proposals.
It seems that this move is very late and being done with no consultation with the community.
They are proposing to remove these trees next Monday.
Simon Box, Euroa
You'll fail
Here at Inland Rail we say,
"The trees must go without delay";
so please, do not get in our way.
The trees must go, that is a fact.
Don't criticise the way we act -
it's all in the contract.
It doesn't matter that you rail
against us, for we will prevail -
you'll fail.
Remember where your protests led
when advocating for the shed -
the trees will end up dead.
Did you not learn your lesson then?
Inland Rail will once again
win.
Craig Penny, Terip Terip
Nuclear fallout
Peter Dutton nuked himself and his party.
Sue Watson, Violet Town
