Peoples Action Movement ICONIC RARE TREE DESTROYED (Sacrificed to accommodate electoral fraud) ---------------------------------------------------- By: Dr. Charles Warner It is said that a tree of 100 years of growth can in one afternoon be cut to the ground by a Jackass. This has been proven, has come to reality in Challengers, specifically at the Stonefort Estate at Bloody Point. It is all part of the plan to destroy Challengers and the country as a whole. Soon there will be nothing Kittitian. Everybody of Challengers can attest to knowing the tree, “since I know myself.” The big evergreen tree in Stonefort has been there for decades. It disappeared on the afternoon of 14/10/13, disappeared at the hands of a naïve and inept politician and a scoundrel, scamp and jailbird. There were absolutely no consultations with Challengers people. When a number of villagers protested the police were called. It is inconceivable that any of the Ministries of Agriculture, Environment or Tourism gave permission to slaughter this iconic and rare plant. Of interest, is the fact that the tree has survived many hurricanes, one even tipped it to the side. But the tree held on and re-rooted itself. Roots which were one hundred years old remained steadfast and resilient. A tree which for one hundred years survived the brutal forces of Mother Nature has fallen, became victim of the folly of men. This plant is a rare plant and not indigenous to the local flora. Like the Poinciana the plant was brought to our shores, our village. The plant is known for its width of spread and has features of the Banyan Tree. Root-like structures project from parts of the trunk and mature branches What happened to our tree is an act of sacrilege. In the past Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Stanley, and teacher Elvie took children there on Sunday afternoons. At mornings, estate workers gathered under the tree awaiting their daily tasks or on Saturdays awaiting their “pay envelopes”. Many yard workers took their lunch break and a nap under the tree. Estate workers living on the estate found its shade therapeutic. They gathered there socially, telling stories and combing the hair of young girls. Of course the men had a smoke and a “brugal” under the tree. Many of our ancestors who toiled the plots in the hills eg. at Big Pasture, Carey Ghaut, Lynch Ghaut, used its shade as a “pit stop” on their way home. On coming from the hills both man and beast took a rest under the Evergreen tree. Phipps was the heavy machines mechanic at Caines garage. It was under the tree that Phipps repaired the tractors, crawlers, ironmen. All through the years not so good things took place under the tree which remained innocent and firmly rooted. As one villager said, “dice throw, pepper and brag play, Hammond drink, cussing and story pung. The tree was never found guilty of the vices of mankind. The value of the tree was always honoured. Milton Osbourne, former tractor driver at Stonefort, is now moving towards his nineties. He probably never thought that he would live to see the day when the tree would be so recklessly destroyed. He would remember the many times he parked his tractor under the tree. Some are trying to justify the sacrilege and stupidity. They are claiming that the young men smoke weed under the tree. As said before, many not so good things have taken place under the tree. Is this the way problems are solved? The tree has not committed any offence. The young men smoke under the bus stand, on the steps of the church and by the public bath and many other places. As to what will happen to the bus stand and the public bath, I do not know; but spare the church. The conservation or preservation of a rare iconic plant was not on some people’s agenda. Cutting down the tree is part of the nefarious acts of the “political supervisor” and the inept politician. Already the “political supervisor” and members of his family are registered in Challengers. Some eleven of them are claiming to live in a small house said to be owned by a prominent politician. The tree stood out in the historical and political context of Bloody Point. There is the huge mahogany tree and flamboyant trees. A name plate should have been put on the tree; it made a part of the tourist and cultural package. In fact an Agency, for example UNESCO,as well as a university, should have engaged in naming, dating and aging the plant. An examination of the cross section shows the rings and the deep dark lignin – all pointing to a tree decades old. At last inspection the tree was chopped up and loaded into a bin. Nearly 100 years of history, culture and spiritualism on its way to the Conaree dump. A tree that was always a part of the community. It is well known that the major step in the uprooting and destruction of a people is the destruction of their environment. The tragedy became profoundly sad when the patriarch and oldest villager recall knowing the tree since he was a young boy. He too thought that he would never live to see the day when the tree would be destroyed. This will be a part of the legacy of Glen “ghost” Phillip. The tree has been sacrificed to accommodate electoral fraud.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 17:15:27 +0000
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