More than 50 people gathered
around the 120 year old Kauri Pine Tree next to the Cobb and Co Museum on
Thursday morning, 13 November, to
witness the launch of “Toowoomba’s Best Trees” written by our Field Nats
member, Dr John Swarbrick. The photographs in the book are by Lucy RC Photography
of Toowoomba.
In launching the book, Councillor
Sue Englart thanked John Swarbrick for his work on this project, but also for
being a long- standing environmental friend of the Toowoomba city. The booklet
will be available for sale at the Toowoomba Information Centre.
John Swarbrick also spoke briefly
and thanked the many people involved in the project and thanked the Council for
agreeing to publish the book. He urged the Council to regard the tree heritage
of Toowoomba as a financial asset worth many millions, and, just as other
Council assets are looked after by the Council, so should be the trees in
Toowoomba.
The act of launching was striking
a stake into the ground near the Kauri Pine. Attached to the stake is a metal placard
which named the tree and, as an innovation, there is also a barcode on the
placard which, if scanned by a smart phone, gives more detailed information
about the tree. In order to scan the barcode, one would need to download a free
app called ‘QR Code’. Each of the trees discussed in the book has a barcode
linked to further information.
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| John Swarbrick holds placard while Councillor Sue Englart hammers it into ground |