PREFACE
It
is not surprising that a progress association within a suburb
named Fig Tree Pocket should decide to stage a celebratory tree
planting, a cel-arbor-ation, to mark Australia's Bicentenary. What
is surprising is that there should be so much uncertainty about
how the suburb came to bear such a name.
Was
Fig Tree Pocket named after one tree in particular or was the name
a consequence of the Fact that the general area abounded in Fig
trees? IF it was named after one tree in particular, is that tree
still in existence, and if not, where did it grow?
By
deciding to stage a Bicentennial cel-arbar-ation, the Mandalay
Progress Association committed
itself to trying to answer such questions. If we came
up with answers, that would be a Bicentennial gift to present and
future residents. If we failed to find answers, the tree planting
exercise would be a worthwhile exercise in itself.
We
did, in fact, discover that there had once been "a remarkable
fig tree" (and where it was) ... but our search for that
information unearthed many other interesting facts and cultivated
a desire to know more about- our own suburb and to share our
findings. This booklet and the accompanying poster are a record of
our findings. Numbers on the map of the suburb on the poster
correlate with the numbered annotations in the booklet. While much
of the information is historical, much of it is also general
interest material that will assist you to get to know the suburb
better - including what plans there are for the future.
In
Search of "a Remarkable Fig Tree" is a beginning,
not an end. We hope it might act as a stimulus to further
investigation. IF you have information to add to the story, it
will be gratefully received by any of the compilers of this
booklet or by Libby Wager at the Pullenvale Field Study Centre,
which acts as an archive of local history.
We
gratefully acknowledge the assistance given by numerous people and
organizations. Specific sources of information are acknowledge
throughout the notes, but our particular thanks go to the
Following:
Dawn
Langford and Henry Clarkson (authors of Tell the Next
Generation, the book that stimulated us to further
research.)
Libby
Wager (Pullenvale Field Study Centre)
Bill
Kitson (Curator, Museum of Mapping and Surveying, Sunmap) State
Archives
We
hope you find the annotations useful in adding to your knowledge
of Fig Tree Pocket, the suburb named after "a remarkable Fig
tree".
Malcolm
Garrett
Noel
Kahler
Rosemary
Allen
For
the Mandalay Progress Association
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