The plan was for the Turkish forces to be fooled into regarding the area around Lone Pine as the objective of the main August assault, while the real offensive was carried out by troops from the New Zealand and Australian Divisions on the heights well to the north along the Sari Bair range.

It was familiar territory to the Australians. On the 25th April it was reached and passed by part of the 9th Australian Battalion about 8 am, and by other units later. That night it was No Man’s Land. On the 26th it was re-occupied by the 4th Battalion, and again it had to be given up at night. It was an important Turkish strong point, known to them as “Kanli Sirt” (Bloody Ridge) commanding Gaba Tepe to the South, and the ravines leading up from that part of the coast. The Australians pushed mines towards it from the end of May to the beginning of August.

Map showing the high ground objectives within the Anzac Sector at Gallipoli. During the August Offensive British and ANZAC troops attempted to capture Hill 971, Hill Q and Chunuk Bair, the highest points on the Sari Bair Range. The Turkish strongpoint at Lone Pine, located on the 400 Plateau was the objective of a diversionary action launched on 6 August 1915. Ex Sydney ANZAC Memorial

Troops of the 1st Australian Brigade commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Harold Walker launched the diversionary attack at 5:30pm on 6 August 1915 preceded by mine explosions and artillery bombardment from land and sea. The width of the front of the attack was 160 yards (150 m) and the distance between the two trench lines of the opposing forces was about 60–100 yards (55–91 m).

When the Australians reached the Ottoman line, they found pine log roofs covered many of the trenches. By nightfall, the Australians had: taken over most of the enemy front line and established outposts in former Ottoman communication trenches. Up until 9 August, ferocious hand to hand fighting took place underground, in a complex maze of Ottoman tunnels.

Thereafter a stalemate developed around Lone Pine and lasted until the evacuation of Australian troops in December 1915. Despite the specific Australian victory, the overall August Offensive failed.

When the battle was over, some 2,273 men were killed or wounded across Australian battalions, and over 6,390 Turks had been killed or wounded. From the action at Lone Pine, seven Australians were awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest British Empire bravery decoration. It was the largest number ever awarded to an Australian Division for one action.

For the rest of WWI and entering the public physic the battle of Lone Pine became a totem for Australian valour and commitment.

After the war, an Australian military historical mission was sent to Gallipoli, led by Charles Bean. On Bean’s advice the Australian government sought permission from the newly formed Turkish Republic to establish an official war cemetery in the area. In 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne was ratified, and through its provisions the Lone Pine cemetery was established in the area, dubbed the Daisy Patch by the Australians.

The Lone Pine cemetery and memorial partly covers:

• the old battlefield
• Australian positions (behind the eastern edge)
• Turkish trenches (near the Lone Pine Memorial pylon)

The existing lone pine tree in situ is actually a stone pine or umbrella (Pinus pinea L.) which is not native to Gallipoli itself, but is frequent in the Aegean region of Türkiye. It was planted after the cemetery was laid out in the 1920s.

The question arises as to the identity of the original standalone tree.

Foresters concur that the taxonomy of the original lone pine was a Pinus brutia Ten., Turkish Pine or  Calabrian pine, native to the Gallipoli peninsular**.

Sergeant Keith McDowell picked up a pine cone from the original Lone Pine and placed it in his haversack as a souvenir. On his eventual return to Australia he gave the cone to his aunt, Mrs Emma Gray of Grassmere near Warrnambool, Victoria. Some 12 years later the few seeds from the cone were planted and four sprouted and grew into seedlings. One was planted at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. From this mother tree hundreds of seedlings have been raised over the intervening years by Legacy and its supporters and distributed to community groups.

What then of the third pine species Pinus halepensis Miller, Aleppo Pine or Jerusalem pine that has also been commonly planted around various WWI memorials across Australia including the lone pine planted by HRH Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (and later Governor-General of Australia), on 24 October 1934 during the construction of the Australian War Memorial.

Pinus halepensis does not grow naturally on the Gallipoli Peninsular but is found nearby along the Mediterranean coast. It had long been used by local Forestry authorities as a suitable tree for man-made plantations.

Lance Corporal Benjamin Smith of the 3rd Battalion whose brother was killed in the battle for Lone Pine Ridge sent a cone home to his mother, Mrs McMullen at Inverell in New South Wales. Mrs McMullen kept the cone for 13 years until 1928 before planting the seeds. She grew two seedlings, one of which she presented to the town of Inverell and the other to the Parks and Gardens section of the Department of the Interior in Canberra. It was this latter seedling of Pinus halepensis that was planted at the Australian War Memorial and which in turn provided many offspring for distribution around Australia.

The confusion of the two distinct pine species brought back from Gallipoli by active servicemen and thence to various ANZAC shrines around Australia can be attributed to the use of both Pinus brutia, the native pine, and Pinus halepensis, the afforestation-planted pine, to supply logs in the well-documented use to shore up and cover the Ottoman trenches.

The confusion arises from the souvenir-tending tendencies of the Australian troops.

The complete story of the ‘lone pine’ of Gallipoli necessitates the inclusion of three distinct species of pine tree. It would seem apt to have a small grove of these three pines established concurrently with the existing expansion of the Australian War Memorial.

The King’s botanist Allan Cunningham, accompanied by the Surveyor-General of the NSW Colony John Oxley, had left their stranded boat on the drought-affected river and took off on foot heading for a mountain vista clothed with stately trees.

They had to cross the river three times to reach their destination. Both men of reserved character could barely contain their enthusiasm for the splendid sylvan view at hand.

Here are the botanist’s words from his journal (held at NSW State Archives): “Hitherto in our examination of this river, we have been only gratified with a distant view of the pine; immediately we approached one of magnificent stature, the Monarch of these woods. It was a healthy well-grown tree exceeding 120 ft in height with a trunk 3’6″ diam. It was totally impossible not to halt a few moments to admire this noble tree.”

Here are the surveyor’s words from his diary (held at John Oxley, Queensland State Library): “We penetrated through a very thick brush abounding with stately and magnificent pines, which towered far above the other timber of the hill. Mr C(unningham) procured a couple of young cones, which satisfactorily demonstrated that the tree which had excited so much admiration was an entirely new species of the genus Auricaris (Araucaria) being the first discovered in New South Wales, and decidedly the growth of the interior and not a coast tree.”

“We measured one, the first we came to, the circumference of which was 10 feet. Many others were of greater magnitude, which was carried up perfectly straight without a branch to a height of from 50 to 100 feet, the whole height in the full-grown trees being at least 150 feet. To this stately tree Mr C gave the name of the Brisbane pine.”

Their effusive discovery words travel the timeline and elate us today.

Foliage and cone samples were collected in situ and eventually reached Kew Gardens in London, where the taxonomists named the Moreton Bay Pine, now known as Hoop Pine, Araucaria cunninghamii, after the botanist who determined this was a new tree to science.

The Brisbane River exploration was part of investigations undertaken to establish the first penal settlement at Redcliff Point in September 1824. When the brig Amity (a two-masted square-rigged ship) left for the return trip, it had pine logs on deck for assessment in Port Jackson.

From then, hoop pine became a most desirable and valuable construction, furniture and naval timber. Indeed, the relocation of the fledging settlement to the present-day Brisbane location in May 1825 was aligned to “facilitate the loading of timber that may be procured in the Brisbane River”. By 1830, 26 sawyers were cutting in the district, and by 1835, “no ship spars within 20 miles of the anchorage” existed.

Hoop pine became the foundation of the Queensland forest products Industry for the next 100-plus years and, as a consequence of overexploitation, the foundation of the Queensland Forestry Plantation enterprise. Today, there are 47,000 hectares of planted hoop pine in Queensland’s state forests.

Postscript: Using the recorded traverses of the two principal explorers, Gary has designated the location of discovery and sampling near Pine Mountain and, with Dr Paul Forster of the Queensland Herbarium, selected a veteran specimen hoop pine for entry into the Herbarium records. The Ipswich Mayor will present a plaque to mark the site as one of historical interest.

After four years at Toowoomba Grammar School, Jim was awarded a Queensland Forestry Cadetship and attended the University of Queensland and the Australian Forestry School in Canberra. His fellow Queensland cadets were Syd Curtis, Peter Hawkins, Neil Henry, Bob Nielsen, John O’Connor and Mal Wilson.

Professor McWilliam graduated BSc For (Hons) in 1951 and co-shared the Schlich Medal for that cohort of 38 students.

As the first geneticist with the Queensland Forestry Department, he was associated with the beginnings of the ultra-successful tree breeding programs for Pinus and Araucaria plantations. He was awarded a Rotary International Fellowship and Fulbright Fellowship to the Duke University in the USA graduating with a Masters in Forestry in 1954.

At the request of the Department while in the United States, Jim made a trip through British Honduras and the Republic of Honduras to examine the natural stands of Caribbean pine. His favourable report (Research Note No 4) resulted in increased plantings of this tropical pine. A Research Fellowship to Yale University followed and he completed a PhD in 1958. On his return he took up a research scientist position at CSIRO (Division of Plant Industry) in Canberra.

Jim was appointed as Professor of Soil Science and Agronomy at University of New England in Armidale in 1971and thus began his long involvement in international agricultural research. Over the next 20 years he served on the boards of six of the major International agricultural research centres working with the major food crops of the developing world. In 1982 he became the first director of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) undertaking collaborative agricultural research, mostly in the Asia-Pacific region.

Jim ‘retired’ in 1990 and spent three years as chairman of Grape and Wine R&D Corporation. In 1995 he formed McWilliam Consulting, covering agricultural research and resource management in and out of Australian. When he finally retired in 2005 – “to relearn how to play golf and enjoy the beach at Mooloolaba” – he took on as ‘recreation’ with other volunteers the rehabilitation of the Eric Joseph Foote War Memorial Sanctuary at Buderim.

Jim McWilliam was showered with awards, including AO, FTSE, FAIAS, Centenary Medal, Donald Medal, Fulbright Fellowship Rotary International Fellow and Schlich Gold Medal.

In 1994, the UNE awarded Jim a Doctorate in Rural Science.

While he was acknowledged within international and national scientific communities as a peerless leader and intellect, he was renowned for his mentoring and inclusiveness, especially of the student fraternity.

• With input from Garth Nikles, John Huth and David Wood.

The place remains as Alameda de los Remedios, and it is still planted with lime and horse-chestnut trees. Later, the Spanish village of Villanueva de la Sierra held the first modern Arbor Day, an initiative launched in 1805 by the local priest, don Juan Abern Samtrés, who, according to the chronicles, “convinced of the importance of trees for health, hygiene, decoration, nature, environment and customs, decides to plant trees and give a festive air”.

The fuse that ignited a later global coverage of Arbor Day was lit by J. Sterling Morton the editor of the Nebraska City News when he organised through the agriculture board the planting of an estimated one million trees on 10 April 1872 in Nebraska.

The event was originally going to be called “Sylvan Day” in reference to forest trees, however, Morton convinced everyone that the day should reflect the appreciation of all types of trees, and “Arbor Day” was born.

In 1883, the American Forestry Association made fellow agriculturalist Birdsey Northrop of Connecticut the chairman of the committee to campaign for Arbor Day nationwide; Northrop further globalized the idea when he visited Japan in 1895 and delivered his Arbor Day and Village Improvement message. He also brought his enthusiasm for Arbor Day to Australia, Canada, and other European countries.

The first Arbor Day in Queensland was held on 1 August 1890 organised by Philip MacMahon, Director of Brisbane Botanic Gardens, and the Acclimatisation Society with trees supplied to local state schools about Brisbane.

The popularity of school plantings throughout the state peaked between the two world wars.  The planting effort these days is with various community groups. Planet Ark’s National Tree Day for example commenced in 1996.

• For more information about Planet Ark’s National Tree Day, visit Wood Central’s special feature.

The ‘purpose-built’ exhibition is a joint initiative of the library and the University of Queensland.

From digital and material innovations to water-sensitive design, new approaches to housing typologies and the vital role of community involvement in design and planning conversations, this exhibition proposes a future with a purposeful approach to the built environment.

Purpose-built is an immersive exhibition of large-scale installations developed with research groups from the University of Queensland’s School of Architecture, Design and Planning.

As a committed member of the State Library Foundation, I was a guest of the exhibition launch recently.

We were greatly enthused by a guided walk through the theming, especially the recognition through built and artistic devices of the raw architectural material … wood.

The sequence of old photographs from the harvesting of hoop pine forest to the panorama of a spotted gum plantation grown with the help of treated sewerage offered patrons an insightful history lesson.

The exhibition was also a collaboration between the State Library and the University of Queensland’s architecture and engineering groups, specifically the Advanced Timber Hub, with associate professor Joe Gattas and senior lecturer and Brisbane architect Kim Baker providing the forestry/wood component.

We have noted collaboration in Wood Central between the Salisbury Research Facility (Forest Products) group Dr Robbie McGavin, Bill Leggate and UQ staff.

In my complimentary note to State Librarian and CEO Vicki McDonald and Public Libraries and Engagement executive director Louise Denoon, I added that the energy for growing trees and forests and the production of wood (carbon capture) comes from the photons of the sun.

Trees can thus provide us with a diverse range of goods and services in perpetuity when professionally and sustainably managed. Perhaps in due course this further aspect can be themed for public exhibition by your talented State Library designers collaborating with sylvan scientists.

The Brisbane Public Library was established by the government of the Colony of Queensland in 1896 and was renamed the Public Library of Queensland in 1898. The library was opened in 1902.

In 1934, the Oxley Memorial Library (now the John Oxley Library), named for explorer John Oxley, opened as a centre for research and study relating specifically to Queensland.

The Libraries Act of 1943 established the Library Board of Queensland to manage the Public Library of Queensland.

Three years later, under the terms of the Oxley Memorial Library of Queensland Act, it also took over management of the Oxley Memorial Library.

In 1971, the “Public Library” became the “State Library.”

The following year, the Public Library Service was established to liaise with Queensland local authorities regarding their public libraries; a subsidy for employing qualified staff in public libraries was also established.

A few years later, the Country Lending Service was established to provide book exchange and other services to public libraries in Queensland’s smaller local government areas.

Under the new name of Rural Libraries Queensland, the service is still going strong today, administered by the State Library’s Public and Indigenous Library Services program.

In 2003, the State Library began a new mission of establishing Indigenous Knowledge Centres in the Cape York and Torres Strait areas.

There is now a network of 22 such centres in remote and regional communities across Cape York, the islands of the Torres Strait, Central Queensland, and a Cherbourg in southeast Queensland.

The historic town in the Moreton region of Queensland is about 50 km from Brisbane.

It did bring back memories of seeing the tree felling and standing block champion Vic Summers showing his expertise at the Gympie Show in 1964.

Quite a few things have changed since then.

For instance, how the competition blocks are attached to the base now involves a clamping mechanism sans nails.

The blocks for the cross-cutting competition are securely drilled into a metal base.

The ‘tree climb’ competitors now chop through hoop pine thinnings. And … the actual blocks, peeled to perfect rounds, were hoop pine from Blackbutt, sourced in the Benarkin plantations and delivered in plastic covers.

Flindersia australis, commonly known as crow’s ash, was what the Benarkin Reserves provided in 1979-1980.

We also noticed some strapping women at the show making a good fist of the saw and axe handle.

‘Twas most enjoyable.

** ** **

Gary, when I was a forester at Bermagui on the NSW south coast, we supplied spotted gum and blackbutt logs for the Royal Easter Show in Sydney and had done so for more than 20 years, to my knowledge.

Most were from the Bermagui state forest.

We had a koala family that lived happily and healthily there as they moved around the newly regenerated compartments.

Thirty years on, the stupid anti-forest brigade, who think they know everything, but know nothing, led a campaign to stop any forestry activity in forests we had managed for more than 120 years.

Koalas are probably chewing the bark off roadside trees now.

We also supplied many boat timbers and poles for power and boat timbers from those forests.

Carbon culture will mean we now see many of our environmentally simple products replaced by high-carbon materials such as cement, iron, steel or aluminium.

What a stupid society we have spawned.

TERRY BEATH

** ** **

How times have changed?

Hoop pine in the woodchops – grown as peeler logs.

Why did we bother?

IAN BEVEGE, retired forester and R&D manager, NSW

That fired up a few in situ memory cells.

Scion, a Crown research institute, is a government-owned company that carries out scientific research for the NZ forestry sector. It was established in 1992 on sturdy foundations laid in 1947 by the NZ Forest Research Institute. 

There is a Queensland connection.

The operational move from slash pine (Pinus elliottiI) to Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea var hondurensis) as the principal plantation species for Queensland Forestry in the 1970s was predicated on raising conditioned open-root planting stock that could survive transplanting shock. The mechanised nursery techniques utilised were first established at NZ FRI Rotorua by Dr David Rook, plant physiologist, and Jaap Van Dorssea, head nursery manager.

However, the Maori terms now used at Scion needed further investigation.

Scion’s striking new three-storey building is named ‘Te Whare Nui o Tuteata’ which means the great house of Tuteata. Tuteata is the ancestor of the three hapū who are the tangata whenua here: Ngāti Hurungaterangi, Ngāti Taeotu and Ngāti Te Kahu.

The name was gifted to Scion to acknowledge Tuteata and the connection to the land, Te Mingi. Ngāti Whakaue is the local iwi (tribe) on which Scion’s Rotorua campus and Te Papa Tipu Innovation Park are set against the magnificent backdrop of Whakarewarewa Forest (once known as ‘The Redwoods’).

Clear? There’s more.

New Zealand’s national science challenges include:

• Science for technological innovation. Kia kotahi mai – te ao pūtaiao me te ao hangarau.

•  Building better homes, towns and cities. Ko ngā wā kāinga hei whakamāhorahora.

• New Zealand’s biological heritage. Ngā koiora tuku iho.

• Our land and water. Toitū te whenua, toi ora te wai.

• Resilience to nature’s challenges. Kia manawaroa – ngā ākina o te ao tūroa.

• The deep south. Te kōmata o te tonga.

Most old-growth foresters I know would be hard-pressed to meet an exit challenge to learn new terminology for communication in the art and science of our profession.