If Trees Could Speak: Stories of Australia's Greatest Trees [Book Review]

2009·0.27 MB·English

by  Leon Costermans

Book Reviews
IfTrees Could Speak: Stories ofAustralia’s Greatest Trees
byBob Beale
Publisher:Allen & Unwin, CrowsNest, 2007. 245pages, colourphotographs;
paperback; ISBN9781741142761. RRP$39.95
In spite of the references to trees in the title, Thebookcovers such awide spectrum ofthe
tthyipsesbooofknaistusroamlehwihsatotrydibffoeorkentrefvrioemwetdheinusTuhael cdoounjtursyt’icsehtiosttohreydtihvaetrsiittyisoifmiptossascicboluenthse.reThteo
VictorianNaturalist. ‘stories’ range in length from a few paragraphs
In fact, much ofthe book is not about trees. to about 11 pages. All are very readable and
Aofsntehaerlmyai5n0 tbirtlieefsufgagcetsutasl,sittoirsieasnwaistsheimnblnaignee hfuullmooufr,inttrhioguugihngniontfwoirtmhaotuitonthaendautthoourc’hseoswonf
themes,covering arange offacets ofAustralias perspectivesandopinions.AsfarasIcouldtell,
history and culture. Generally, the trees are the information and accounts are historically
seen as silent, but nonetheless important, wit- accurate.
nessesto overtwo centuriesofevents. In addition to the ‘stories’, there are several
EuTrhoepesatnoriceusltuarrees;drtahewntrefersomfeaAtbuorreidgianraelbaontdh psacuglepstofrocOulsainCgoohnnswpehcoificcarsuvbejdecTths,esFuacihryaTsrtehee,
native and introduced. For example, under botanistDougBenson, andMountain Ash.
T‘ThreeesPrwiistohn Tsprieriet,’,Twhee hFaaivrey TThreeeCaanndoeotThreeres,. MoTshte aprheotboygrthaephasuthdoers,eravnedsapreeciaaltmmoesnpthieorni.c
‘TPhreocFlaemdaetriaotni,onSeOpaakratainond,TFheedeSreaptairoantioinnclTurdeees. adensdigenvoocfattihveebaosowkelislpalseadseiscnrgilpytuivnec.luTthteeroevderaanldl
Thereare‘Treeswithvision,suchasTheCazneaux attractive.
Tree, Namatjiras trees, and so on. Politics, Bob Beale writes colourfully and engagingly,
conflicts, the arts, memorials, notable person- whilst also being thought provoking. This is a
alities are all represented. Itis notuntil the last bookwhichcanbeenjoyedbyanyone. I certainly
thirdofthebookthatthefocusfallsonthetrees recommendit.
themselves, with sections covering the oldest LeonCostermans
trees, thebiggesttrees and‘othergreat Austral- 1/6StJohnsAve
Frankston,Victoria3199
iantrees, pastand present’.
I was interested to know more about the
author,BobBeale,buttheonlymentionI could
find in the book was ‘Faculty ofScience, Uni-
versity of NSW’ (the website indicates he is
PublicAffairsManager) Hewriteswithobvious
.
feeling, not only for the trees which he clearly
respects,andinwhichheoftenseessymbolism,
but also for the country’s human history and
current attitudes. Understandably, he laments
thelossofsomesignificantarboreallandmarks,
especially when such loss is the result of in-
competent management by authorities (as, for
example, ‘El Grande’, the giant Mountain Ash
in Tasmania). On the other hand, he niarvels
that we still have ‘The Bennelong Twins two
Forest Red Gums {Eucalyptus tereticornis) near ‘Jj’^rtt5 Sf-ttKk'
the Sydney Opera House—which somehow
have survivedsincebeforeThe First Fleet. B0e atAi. E
TheVictorian Naturalist
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