Oak timber to be reused

Timber from the 100-year-old Memorial Oak removed from Severn St at the start of March will be stored for a future project in the Oamaru Public Gardens.

While most of the timber from the tree went through a chipper, Waitaki District Council parks officer Lindsay Hyde confirmed there had been a request from a relative of Private E. H. Guthrie, for whom the tree was planted after World War 1, to use some of the tree to make hat stands for old military helmets as well.

The council was looking into that request, he said.

The tree was removed for safety reasons after the council monitored a crack in the tree's trunk over the past eight months.

The council said it had no choice but to remove the tree and it would plant a replacement this winter.