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Oatley Park Lone PinePrint Page 
Hurstville Council decided at its last meeting to accept an offer of the Mortdale-Oatley sub-branch of the Returned Soldiers' League of two pine seedlings, said to be from the original lone pine at Gallipoli, for planting in the Oatley Park. Alderman Nicholls said it was a fine tribute to the sub-branch, and the trees could be planted in a suitable position in the park.
Propeller (Hurstville), 23 May 1935.
The Lone Pine was the name given to a solitary tree on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, which marked the site of the Battle of Lone Pine in 1915 during World War One and it was the sole survivor of a group of trees that had been cut down by Turkish soldiers who had used the timber and branches to cover their trenches.
The tree was obliterated during the battle; however, pine cones that had remained attached to the cut branches over the trenches were retrieved by two Australian soldiers and brought home to Australia. Private Thomas Keith McDowell, a soldier of the 23rd Battalion brought a pine cone from the battle site back to Australia, and many years later seeds from the cone were planted by his wife's aunt Emma Gray of Grassmere, near Warrnambool, Victoria and five seedlings emerged, with four surviving. These seedlings were planted in four different locations in Victoria: Wattle Park (May 8, 1933), the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne (June 11, 1933), the Soldiers Memorial Hall at The Sisters near Terang (June 18, 1933) and Warrnambool Botanic Gardens (January 23, 1934).
Another soldier, Lance Corporal Benjamin Smith from the 3rd Battalion, also retrieved a cone and sent it back to his mother (Mrs McMullen) in Australia, who had lost another son at the battle. Seeds from the cone were planted by Mrs McMullen in 1928, from which two seedlings were raised. One was presented to her home town of Inverell (New South Wales) and the other was forwarded to Canberra where it was planted by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester at the Australian War Memorial in October 1934.
The Shrine of Remembrance's lone pine was felled in August 2012 and the timber used as part of a remembrance project, after a disease known as Diplodia pinea or blue stains fungus as it commonly called killed it.
Melbourne Legacy and the Yarralumla Nursery in Canberra have grown seedlings sourced from the trees at the Shrine of Remembrance and the Australian War Memorial respectively, which they have presented to schools as well as ex-service and other organisations throughout Australia.
Location
| Address: | Dame Mary Gilmore Road & Oatley Park Avenue, Oatley Park, Oatley, 2223 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.979785 Long: 151.064342 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Tree |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW1 |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 04-August-1914 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 28-June-1919 |
| Link: | http://www.warmemorialsregister.nsw… |
Dedication
Plaque:
MUNICIPALITY OF HURSTVILLE
This Tree Has Grown From A Seed
Of The Original "Lone Pine" At Gallipoli
Of Anzac Tradition In The Great War
Of 1914 - 1918.
Citizens Are Asked To Respect The Tree In Honour Of
The Epic Courage And Sacrifice Of Which It Is A Living Symbol.
Geo. R. Morris
Town Clerk.
Hurstville City Council
This tree is one of two trees that grew from pine cones obtained from Lone Pine, Gallipoli and planted in 1920 (sic) by Owen Jones Davies, a World War I Veteran.
The ashes of Owen Jones Davies were scattered around this tree by his son, John Davies, on Anzac Sunday, 20th April, 1958.
This plaque, provided by the Mortdale RSL Sub-Branch, was unveiled by His Worship the Mayor of Hurstville, Councillor Bryan McDonald on 13th August, 1995.
Clr B. McDonald, JP H.E.J. Wallace F.I.M.M.
Mayor. General Manager.&nb
