LONE PINE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21640, 10 May 1932, Page 8

LONE PINE

A MEMORY OF GALLIPOLI TREES IN AUSTRALIA. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, April 28. New Zealanders will be particularly interested in two trees that are growing in Australia to-day because they have sprung from the seeds of the “ lone pine,” which gave that name to one of the most memorable battles on Gallipoli, according to the claims of Mrs G. T. M'Mullen, of Cardiff, near Newcastle. The seeds were sent to Mrs M'Mullen by one of her four soldier sons, and were first planted in an earthenware pot. When the two plants sprang up one was presented to Invercll, a New South Wales country town from Which one of the boys enlisted, and the Other was sent to the military authorities, who, in turn, passed it on to the Federal Government. The tree sent to Inverell is growing vigorously in the local park, and is now about four feet high. The other young tree has not been removed from its pot, but will be planted this year in the War Memorial Reserve at Canberra.

Mrs M'Mullen is quite definite in her statement that there can be no doubt that the seeds came from what is, perhaps, the most famous tree in the history of New Zealand and Australia. She says that her son, Private F. A ; -Smith, was killed' in action on Gallipoli in August, 1915 His body fell near the lone pine.. Another of her sons, Lancecorporal B. C. Smith, was also fighting on the peninsula, and on hearing of his brother’s-death secured one of the cones from the tree and sent it home. When he returned home from the war he took possession of the cone with the other of his war relics, but two seeds from the cone remained in the box where it had been placed for safe keeping. Mrs M'Mullen retained those seeds, and in December. 1928, having made her permanent home at Cardiff, she decided to see whether they could be persuaded to grow. She was dubious, as she had. already heard that it was difficult to seed Gallipoli pines in Australia. Constant attention, however, was given to the seeds, and at last they came up as pretty silver-blue plants, which later changed'in colour to bluish green. When Mrs M'Mullen was satisfied that given ordinary attention they would survive outdoors in Australia, she decided that it would be unwise and selfish to retain them in her own possession. She feared that they would be ignorantly destroyed after her death if they were allowed to settle in private ground. As it is _the tiny trees are receiving expert attention, and should provide, in the years to come, an important link with that grim battleground where so many New Zealanders and Australians lost their lives.