Firestorm Story Tree Time Capsule, Canberra, Australia
Posted by: 
Tealby
S 35° 22.347 E 149° 03.736
55H E 687342 N 6083700
A time capsule sealed in the tree's base, with stories and photos from the January 2003 Canberra bushfire tragedy.
Waymark Code: WM1RE0
Location: Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Date Posted: 07/01/2007
Views: 86
On Sunday 9 October 2005, the Mt Taylor Estate Residents Association (MTERA) officially opened the Firestorm Story Tree, although it was still unfinished at that time. The carvings on this tree depict various stages in the life of the old tree, up to the devastating firestorm that whipped through Canberra, including the suburb of Kambah, over the road from Mt Taylor, in January 2003. The tree is a redbox, which dates back to the 1830s.
The wood carver was Bryan Carrick and others from Auzpicious Arts. The story starts at the base, showing the aboriginal time of ownership, then moves into white man’s development of the land and dwellings, the event of the firestorm and the damage caused and then the renewal, regrowth and rebuilding.
Stonework surrounds the tree, with a curved wall containing ceramic tiles painted by residents, friends and interested people depicting certain aspects of the fire, early scenes of the area and tiles describing events and who helped in the making of this memorial.
Residents at the time of the 2003 bushfires contributed their stories and photos of the tragedy to a time capsule, which was sealed in the middle of 2007. The timecapsule will be reopened on January 18th 2023, on the 20th anniversary of the bushfires.
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