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The Lea Tree is a 2500 year old Huon pine growing on the Lower Gordon River in Tasmania.[1] It was vandalised in 1983. However, it is still alive and growing.[2]

Vandalism

On 5 July 1983, the tree, 9 feet (3 metres) in diameter, was chainsawed, then oil was poured into holes made by the perpetrators and set alight. The fire burnt for 24 hours.[3]

Motives

The tree is thought to have been vandalised by people who supported the Franklin River Dam project, as the tree had become something of a symbol to the conservationist groups who opposed the dam.[1] On 1 July, four days prior to the vandalism, a High Court Ruling ended the project.[4] There is one theory that it was a publicity stunt by conservationists.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "Wilderness Journal #020". Wilderness Society. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Franklin Review – A Reminder That People Are Not Powerless to Stand Up to Environmental Destruction – The Curb". www.thecurb.com.au. 5 September 2022. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b Grabosky, Peter N. (1989). "Chapter 17: Vandalism of the Lea Tree". Wayward governance : illegality and its control in the public sector. Australian Institute of Criminology. pp. 255–263. ISBN 0-642-14605-5. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013.
  4. ^ Commonwealth v Tasmania (1983) 46 ALR 625 at 733 and 734.
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