Source : City North News editions of 14 and 21 January.
Go to their website at
http://city-north-news.whereilive.com.au/news/story/200-year-old-tree-faces-the-chop/
and watch the video of the story.
Note the arrogant statements of dismissal by the Infrastructure Minister.
Note also the absence of candour by the Lord Mayor, whose TransApex dream of a series
of rabbit holes under the city included Airport Link. Council actively worked with the
Beattie Government to fast-track the approval of Airport Link.
The Council always has an "independent" arborist on call to blunt community opposition
to the destruction of the city's trees whenever they might impede new more roads or building construction.
Why was there no action to heritage list the tree?
Well....Kalinga Park is on the Heritage Register. Go and have a look at the state it is in now.
The whole of the eastern end is a desolate and confronting wasteland. There were
priceless and exceptional trees there too. All gone so that some drivers can travel
a few minutes quicker to the airport. It can never be restored to the magical and natural
place it was before November 2008.

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THE bell has tolled for a 250-year-old tree at Wooloowin, according to state Minister for Infrastructure Stirling Hinchliffe.
Mr Hinchliffe said the tree had not been identified as one that people were concerned about
losing and was for the chop by month’s end.
However an exclusive City North News survey has revealed 85 per cent of respondents said the
Crow’s Ash tree should not be chopped down while 76.5 per cent believed it should be left where
it is.
"This tree will unfortunately have to go," Mr Hinchliffe said.
"It wasn’t identified as an issue that people were highly concerned about. The rewards of the
Airport Link are very great, so manifest for our city."

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman weighed into the debate, saying he would like to see it remain, but an independent arborist’s report confirmed the tree could not be saved.
"Originally it was hoped it could be saved," Cr Newman said.
"Council’s position is that the tree ultimately has to go. It can’t be saved."

LNP spokesman for climate change and sustainability Glen Elmes said the historic tree should be saved.
"This is a test for Kate Jones to see if her environmental credentials are more than just
window-dressing," Mr Elmes said.
But Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Kate Jones said the tree was not heritage listed and she was not involved.
"Of course, no one likes to see any tree knocked down," Ms Jones said.
"We have really strong rules about offsetting, so that means you’ve got to plant more than what you’ve knocked down."
Bob Brown, leader of the Greens, and Peter Garrett, federal Minister for the Environment, were approached by City North News but neither commented.
More than a million trees will be planted after the completion of the Airport Link and Northern Busway, including 500 seedlings propagated from the Crow’s Ash tree.