This pine tree was planted in Stratford's King Edward Park by R. Hampton of Whanganui in 1966, in the presence of around 100 Gallipoli Anzac veterans from Taranaki and Whanganui. It is recorded as being grown from a tree collected as a seedling from Lone Pine Ridge on Gallipoli. The original "Lone Pine" was destroyed during the fighting at Gallipoli but gave its name to a well-known, if dangerous, position on the peninsula.
A letter written by soldier Frederick Rudolph Voitrekovsky (later shortened to Voitre) (1891-1971) to his fiancée Florinda Louisa Journeaux in Hāwera dated 10 December 1915 mentions the place:
P.S. There is a position some distance from us called “Lone Pine” and it always put me in mind of the “Lone Pine” on the old South Road, Hawera, but some day when the war is over and peace comes to the world once again we will renew the old acquaintance once again, wont we?
Stratford's Lone Pine has been identified as a Turkish Pine (Pinus brutia) but some believe it to be a sub-species of the Aleppo pine Pinus halepensis var brutia.
Further along the same path in the park are several kauri trees, the tallest of which was planted in 1954 to commemorate the visit of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip to Stratford.
Related document:
Seedlings a living link to landmark (Taranaki Daily News 23 April 2015)
Voitrekofsky [Voitre], Frederick - letters (Collection of Puke Ariki ARC2002-121).
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