Recently, two mature peppercorn trees in White Cliffs were removed to make way for water pipes. Shirley Evans (nee Riley), who now lives in Wilcannia, was born under one of those trees in 1937. She says, ‘When I was an adult I went back to that tree a few times with Mum. I’ve had my photo taken beside that tree, so when I saw what they’d done to it I felt lousy. I was really disappointed to think that they’d cut that tree down.’
Shirley’s daughter, Debbie Evans, says ‘That birth tree is incredibly significant culturally. And it’s right near Riley’s Tank, which is an important place for our extended family.’
Shirley: That Tank was sunk by my grandfather George Riley and Uncle Laurie Quayle. When I was a kid, the Quayle and Riley families lived in little camps all around that Tank.
Debbie: Some of the stories from those days are funny. Mum told us that her mother, Nana Ethel, used to tie kids in chaff bags and hang them on the clothes line there at Riley’s Tank for punishment!
Shirley: One time when we were small, Mum punished me and Popeye (Arthur Melrose) and Uncle Bill like that, and Popeye chewed his way out of his chaff bag. He was going to cut the ropes that our bags were hanging from, to let us out. And we were shouting to him to stop, because if he cut them we’d drop to the ground and get hurt! Anyway, we all got put back into the chaff bags and hung up again – more punishment for getting out of them!
Debbie: Long ago there was a family tragedy at Riley’s Tank. Nana Ethel’s sister Hannah drowned in it – we’re not sure how it happened. And in more recent times, Uncle Bill Riley’s daughter Colleen chose to spread his ashes at Riley’s Tank. That’s how significant that place is to our family.
We all went out there for that memorial – it was a big event. So it’s upsetting that Mum’s birth tree was cut down without talking to local residents. And it’s not just about our family: when you think about sustainability and climate change issues, White Cliffs needs more trees, not less! Anything green that provides a refuge and shade. White Cliffs is in one of the most arid parts of New South Wales; it doesn’t make sense to cut down trees there when it takes so much time and effort to get them growing to a good size. Why the engineer hasn’t just located that pipeline to one side of those trees is mind blowing! It appears to have been planned on a desktop far away from this area. People deciding these things can be so disconnected from the places they’re planning for.
This article appeared in Wilcannia News, September 2023.
