Gumtrees

Recently, we had to get some gumtrees cut down on our property... if you look towards the front of the house, it was three gumtrees sitting on the bank to the left of the front of the house. It was a shame because I really liked those gumtrees, but now they are gone. I liked those gumtrees because they made me think of a savoury smell whenever I saw them outside my bedroom window, as well as the gumtrees had a relaxing holiday feel to them.

We had to pay for the gumtrees to be cut down. It cost $6000 to have them cut down. It would have otherwise cost $20000 if it wasn't for the tennis court that enabled the heavy machinery to be wheeled in. They had to be cut down because they were potentially unstable.

But all of this started when a "concerned citizen" wrote a letter to the Hutt City Council saying that the trees could potentially be unstable. Then the Hutt City Council sent an Arbourist in. The arbourist said that the trees were potentially unstable. So we had to advise the insurance companies that the trees could potentially be unstable (so the insurance companies wouldn't cover us if any damage occurred because of the trees). So then we had to get them cut down because we wouldn't be covered by insurance plus we could have been liable for any damage that occurred to anywhere (including the public roads at the bottom of the bank?) or anyone because of the trees, which I'm pretty sure we would not be able to pay for... or someone could have sued us for damage done because of the trees... in the end we got the trees cut down...

And it is very tempting to be annoyed at the original and innocent "concerned citizen" for causing all this... especially because after the trees were cut down, many people were glad because they had a better view of the city, and we think the person who complained was mainly just after a better view.

So why is it that we end up paying for the trees to be cut down when we didn't want to get rid of them, when the people who did want the trees cut down (because they got a better view) didn't have to pay a cent. Lets all be glad that the person who was really concerned about potentially unstable trees around the neighbourhood was bothered to go and write a letter to the council about how unstable the trees were. I wonder what other "potentially unstable trees" he's noticed around the neighbourhood.

I hate being forced to pay for things I didn't want anyway. That just doesn't make sense.

I just feel like we've been ripped off, when this whole thing was a community matter.



There is an old grey gumtree
Standing in the rain of my backyard
I see it and I know
I have sympathy for it
It is standing there alone
No birds around
No harvest of any kind
It’s just a grey old gum tree


I’m alone, without my emotions
There is no feeling to my existence
I’m empty, I’ll fall asleep here
Under this grey gumtree
Which is about to be cut down
Because it is overgrown
It’s just a grey old gumtree
Of course it’s just a grey old gumtree


No one to look after it
No one to trim its leaves
It is so old and over grown
It’s just a grey gum tree


The clouds in the sky
Rain where the grey old gumtree lies
There is no sunshine
It’s just a grey old gumtree


I’m alone, without my emotions
There is no feeling to my existence
I’m empty, I’ll fall asleep here
Under this grey gumtree
Which is about to be cut down
Because it is overgrown
It’s just a grey old gumtree
Of course it’s just a grey old gumtree