MACLEAY Island resident Sara Stephen has shared her harrowing experience of a giant gum tree that narrowly missed her house, after warning authorities about its potential danger.
The tree, which had been a concern for Mrs Stephen and her husband Andrew since they moved into their Panaroo St home 18 months ago, finally fell on March 6.
For over 11 months, Mrs Stephen had been trying to get the tree removed, contacting Redland City Council and Energex multiple times to raise her concerns.
Mrs Stephen claims she lodged three formal requests for the tree’s removal, but no action was taken.
The fallen tree not only caused damage to the property but also took out power lines, leaving the couple without power for days.
Despite feeling a sense of relief that the tree had come down without hitting her home, it was still leaning against another tree.
Energex came through with a temporary fix by installing a crossline electrical wire, which allowed power to be restored after eight days, giving the couple a much-needed sense of relief.
Behind the scenes, various groups worked together to fix the issue, including the council and tree contractors.
“A crane and necessary equipment were expected to arrive early this week to remove the tree,” Mrs Stephen said.
The tree removal had been delayed due to insurance requirements and logistical issues with contractors getting equipment to the island.
One of the major frustrations for Mrs Stephen was the lack of communication throughout the ordeal.
She said no one told her that she would need to hire an electrician herself to fix the wiring at the house.
Another major point of frustration for Mrs Stephen was that had the tree been removed after her initial requests, none of this would have happened.
Despite this, she acknowledged the efforts of those who had recently taken action to resolve the situation.
“The Mayor and other officials (Rebecca Young) have been pushing hard for my case in the last two days,” Mrs Stephen said.
“Once the tree is gone, I’ll feel safer.”
A Redlands Council spokesman confirmed the Council had engaged with contractors to assist Energex with repair work.
“Due to the complexity of the job and the size of the tree, a crane will be required to complete the job with Energex on site to manage the electrical wires,” he said.
“The tree has been assessed and there is no immediate danger of the tree falling any further.
“This type of tree failure during severe weather events is unpredictable.”
Meanwhile, Russell Island resident Gyan Chand, also nearly saw his home taken out by a large tree.
Despite the immediate dangers, another tree remains in a precarious position, still leaning toward his house.
“It’s still leaning towards my house held up by some straps, but you can see it’s flexing,” he said.
“The issue is we’ve been asking for help, but no one seems to take responsibility.”
