@Normal:Sherbrooke Community School students Adam, 7, and Elijah, 8, in front of the descendent of the Lone Pine which was uncovered during a school working bee. 53265 Pictures: Nigel Clements
By Casey Neill
A DESCENDENT of the Gallipoli Lone Pine once again stands tall in Sassafras after being rescued from weeds that threatened to engulf the historic tree.
Sherbrooke Community School students and parents rediscovered the pine and identification plaque at a recent working bee to rejuvenate an overgrown area at the rear of the schoolyard.
Principal Kerry Bennetto said students had suggested replanting it somewhere more visible.
The school will make plans for the pine in a schoolgrounds masterplan which is currently in the works.
“We’re thrilled that it’s been rediscovered,” Ms Bennetto said.
The tree was grown from seeds of Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance pine. That tree is a descendent of the Lone Pine in Gallipoli.
Australian and Turkish troops fought in The Battle of Lone Pine in August 1915 as a diversionary attack during the Gallipoli campaign.
The conflict was named after a solitary pine that stood in the battlefield.
Turkish troops chopped down surrounding trees for branches to cover their trenches.
Australian troops overran the Turkish trenches during the assault and the Turks launched unsuccessful counter attacks.
The pine was destroyed during the conflict. Australian soldiers brought home pinecones from the battlefield and planted the seeds.
Descendants of those trees were planted around Australia during the 1930s as World War I memorials. Legacy groups later distributed descendants to schools, including Sherbrooke Community School.
In 2008 Year 10 student Robert noticed natural revegetation making its way through the weed mass and sparked a clean-up campaign that led to the pine’s rediscovery.
Students cleared weeds from around the pine by hand with help from Conservation Volunteers Australia and Friends of Sassafras Creek.
They planted almost 400 indigenous plants and made nesting boxes for native animals.
