Mark in Seattle wrote:
�I have the greatest awe and respect for trees. Big trees. Old trees.
Living things capable of staying alive many times our life spans.�
This was an excellent post, Mark! I really enjoyed it. (Also other
posts on trees by CC, Marcel and Victor.)
And, Hell, I understand your feelings completely. I�m sorry to hear
that the tree on Auckland�s One Tree Hill has gone. I read about the
earlier attempt on its life but thought it had been saved.
Trees (and other such sites) can have great significance in the lives
of people and communities. Has anyone read the historian Simon
Scharma�s monumental book �Landscape and Memory�? It�s a �hefty� read
but contains some wonderful insights into such matters.
I grew up on the northern side of Sydney harbour and there were two
trees that I remember with great affection. They were both enormous
and clearly very old Morton Bay figs. One was lost when they put a
bloody great expressway right through the older part of North Sydney
in the 1960s (half our street went as well).
The other tree, however, still stands at the northern end of the local
cricket and football oval. I played sport in its shadow during my
schooldays and, until recently (when Mr. Murdoch�s evil empire killed
them off) followed the fluctuating fortunes of the North Sydney Bears
rugby league team when they played their home matches there.
I don�t live in North Sydney anymore but that old Morton Bay fig tree
has been a part of my life since childhood and will always have a
special place in my affections. I think that recognizing such �sacred
sites� is an important means of maintaining a connection with your
roots, with giving your life a sense of �place�. I�m sure we all have
such places that are important (�sacred�) to us.
Sorry for the length of this NJC comment (I suppose I should have
hunted out references in Joni�s songs of places that were clearly
important to her). Being a �Local History Librarian� I tend to get a
bit long-winded when such subjects come up. :-)
Cheers,
John (in Sydney).
__________________________________________________________________
Get your free Australian email account at http://www.start.com.au
