BURGHERS OF CALAIS

Named after Rodin's famous sculpture there are similarities in the stories. These giant gum trees were planted at the turn of the previous century and provided much needed shade in the hot summer months.
About ten years ago the municipality dug a deep trench near these trees and they died as a result. The branches were lopped off leaving the massive tree trunks rising out of the hard sunbaked earth. The group had a quiet sense of dignity and tragedy. We named them the"Burghers of Calaise".
Along came the Garden Club and with the best intentions in the world created a cute little garden at the base of these giants. The garden soon died of neglect and so was filled in with concrete providing seating for weary folk walking up from North End to fetch their State Subsidy from the Post Office.
The next intervention came from an artist who transformed the trees by cutting into the bark and wood. Some of us found the images created trite but the tourists love them. Maybe we should find a new name.