John Williams, Treasures of Nhill & District Facebook page, Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times

Growing up in Nhill I found the peppercorn tree a handy supply of ammunition for my bicycle pump. Those little pink peppercorns could really sting when fired from a “weaponised” hand pump.

Back in the 50’s there was a multitude of pepper trees in Nhill as the town in the early days had its flat barren landscape beautified with pepper trees and sugar gums which provided excellent shade, shelter, and aesthetic relief from the wide open spaces.

The new plantings matured into restful shade-giving avenues, and a source of beauty to the town.

The sweet tasting sugar gums found homes in Citizen’s Park (Davis Park), the Gardens (Goldsworthy Park), the Showgrounds and the Cemetery with MacPherson Street becoming a shady avenue of gums.

School Arbour Days delivered many of the sugar gums around Nhill as the striking foliage and majestic form of these trees made them a popular species. The prolific white blossom proved a substantial source of nectar for bees.

Many of the pepper trees were providing shade in Nelson Street between William Street and the Hospital….in fact too much shade and they became an issue for the Nhill Progress Association in 1950.

A public meeting was called to discuss the fate of seventy trees which were beginning to encroach on the highway and were supposedly becoming a nuisance for residents. Questionnaires were sent to 46 householders but only 6 were returned.

Pepper trees are invasive and were affecting pipes, drains and residential gardens, particularly at the western end as they were planted on the footpath.

At this stage the Council had no opinion on the matter which was being driven by the Progress Association.

One speaker at the meeting said he had seen trucks hit the overhanging branches and a lot of the trees were decrepit specimens which would be dead in ten years.

It was suggested three rows of pepper trees be grown on the other side of the road to blanket the northerly winds and dust and residents on the southern side of Nelson Street could grow hedges as replacements.

One resident chimed in with information that pepper trees outside his place sucked up about 20 thousand gallons of water a year and that Nelson Street was in darkness if the trees were not lopped to reveal the street lights.

Another mentioned an early photo of Nhill in the Shire Hall showing a town practically treeless and he would not like to see it in that condition again.

It was suggested that the ash tree would be a better option than pepper trees as their roots went straight down and this was followed by a debate over claret ash verses green desert ash.

Mr H.C. Palmer said the Sugar Gums in Macpherson Street also caused a problem with leaves and roots and would like to see a complete gradual replanting of more suitable trees in the whole town.

At the end of the meeting it was agreed to ask the Council to have the pepper trees removed once a new row of trees on the northern side of Nelson Street matured.

The Association and householders would decide on the best species to replace the peppers.

The trees were still there in 1953 with one of them in the news involving the tragic death of schoolgirl Coryn Tassicker.

She had ruptured her liver after falling from her bike while dinking Margaret Otto along Nelson Street. After the girls fell, Coryn was found leaning against one of the pepper trees holding her stomach.

She later died in hospital with the bike’s handlebars the cause of the injury.

Pepper trees were gradually removed at the request of householders including one in Victoria Street at Bussau’s Corner. In fact requests to have pepper trees removed were coming in from all parts of town and the Council happily obliged.

Except in 1956 an application was refused to have 18 pepper trees removed from beside the highway on the Kaniva side to make way for a roadhouse.

In 1959 the Council agreed that pepper trees in Nelson Street be replaced with desert ash trees prior to a concrete footpath being laid.

Footnote: The Pepper Tree, is a spreading, evergreen tree originally from South America and were widely planted throughout our district in the 1880s and 90s as a shade tree. The peppercorns or fruits are referred to as pink peppercorns and are not the same as commercial black pepper.

This article appeared in the Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 27 November 2024.