FREMANTLE council has voted to remove a 130-year-old Moreton Bay fig from its significant tree register, paving the way for the Cattalini family to cut down the 27-metre giant and sell their old pharmacy on High Street.
There’s some debate about the tree’s history, but it is linked to local nurseryman Phillip Webster who’s 1890s house is still on the Cattalini’s block, and it could have been the progenitor of Walyalup Koort’s Moreton Bays and perhaps even the city’s Proclamation Tree near St Patrick’s basilica.
Pharmacist John Cattalini was a former mayor of Fremantle and his wife Pamela appealed for the council to take it off the register because of the burden it had become.
“This property has been in our family for approximately 60 years; it was put into my name 30 years ago,” Ms Cattalini said.
• The fig tree and its fruit have loomed over the sale of the 2033sqm property on High Street. Photo by Steve Grant
Mammoth
“Over that time it has been my responsibility to keep up the maintenance of this tree which has been a mammoth undertaking.
“I did not give permission for this tree to be put on the significant tree list and as it is on private property I do not know why it is on the list.”
Ms Cattalini said the tree dropped figs four months of the year, constantly shed leaves which got into the buildings’ gutters, and had roots damaging a wall. She heads down to the building with her children every day to sweep the car park clean to ensure her tenants don’t trip or tramp muck through their offices.
“I have been trying to sell this property to no avail, as no one wants the responsibility of this problem, therefore it is also impossible to lease the building so I’m suffering financially.” She estimated that paying someone to sweep the block, clear the gutters and repair the wall would cost $25,000.
Twenty years ago the tree’s fate was also in the balance, but after a community backlash the council agreed to help Ms Cattalini with the maintenance, something she told the meeting hadn’t occurred.
Her daughter Stacey Towne disputed the council report linking the fig to the Proclamation Tree.
“This has never been proven, casting doubt on its heritage significance,” she said.
“Moreover, claiming this tree’s heritage has not changed since 2001 ignores the removal of similar trees by council from Walyalup Koort.”
Ms Towne said the tree blocked surveillance.
“We’ve had people sleeping rough, drug taking and even had to clean up human urine and faeces,” she said.
Council staff had recommended keeping the tree on the register, but councillor Jenny Archibald was concerned by the fact the Cattalinis had no say in the tree being registered on the list and put up an amendment to remove it.
“It does constrain the heritage building that is on the site and I think the opportunity for the owners of the property is seriously impinged by the fact that the tree is still there.
“Those trees need a lot of space around them,” she said, noting its large canopy dropped “dangerous fruit”.
Only councillors Ben Lawver and Doug Thompson voted against taking the tree off the register, but Cr Fedele Camarda said he’d like to see the fig live again by being propagated in one of the city’s parks.
Fremantle Society president John Dowson, who’d been working with the Cattalinis to find a buyer for the site with the tree, or to get the council to improve its maintenance, was blunt about the decision.
“If council can sponsor women’s soccer they can support a 100 year old tree of ‘exceptional’ stature,” Mr Dowson said, referring to the Girls Festival of Community Soccer due to be held at Fremantle Oval in March.
by STEVE GRANT