Thieves won’t stop tree planting

Bourke Shire Council has embarked on the next phase of beautifying the town, with crews hard at work planting trees around the CBD over the past two weeks.

Unfortunately, the program has been set back slightly with yet more vandalism, and with many of the trees stolen less than 24 hours after they were planted.

The theft won’t derail the planting program though, according to Bourke Council’s Manager of Corporate Services Leonie Brown.

“Council received a grant allocation of ninety thousand dollars to plant the trees in strategic areas of town,” Mrs Brown said.

“It was very disappointing to report that we planted those trees and the next night a number of them were removed.

“Generally, in the past when vandals have stolen or vandalised the trees, we’ve been able to locate and replant them, but this time council staff were unable to locate them.

“Obviously, someone came along and decided they needed the trees more than the community did, and that’s very disappointing when council is trying to beautify the area and provide shade to make the town a cooler place for the community in summer.

Photo contributed: Bourke Shire Council worker John Tringham with one of the vandalised trees in Darling Park.

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