Watch: Sad day for Yvonne as Reiger Park’s oldest tree is cut down

The tree is estimated to be more than 50 years old and was about 30 to 35m tall. The tree was a Populus deltoides, commonly known as Cottonwood tree.

It was an emotional day for Yvonne Varrie who couldn’t stop tears from rolling down her cheeks.

She was sad to bid farewell to “her tree”, which has been in her yard since the early 1960s.

Varrie said the tree was already on the property when she moved to Reiger Park with her family in the 1960s.

She described the tree as one of her children.

Varrie said her relationship with the tree was a bittersweet one as sometimes it brought good memories and sometimes bad.

“There were times when I fought with my neighbours because the leaves from my tree were making their yard a mess.

“Sometimes things resembling snowflakes would come out of the tree which caused everyone to close their windows and doors.

“I used to wake up in the morning to sweep the yard because of the leaves, which were thick as a mat. My late husband used to help me to sweep the yard but now that he is no longer with us, I’m not able to because I’m now old,” she said.

The tree was struck by lightening which caused its roots to rot from deep inside.

The Varrie family felt it was dangerous to their neighbours and to them and that’s why they opted for the tree to be cut.

Varrie said they tried to get help from the metro to cut the tree down but they refused, saying it was in her yard so was her own property.

Some of the good memories she shared are that her family used to braai under the tree and when summer days came they would relax under its shade.

Varrie’s daughter, Dawn Miles, reminisced about the good old times.

“The tree was always nice to us and we have many shared memories of the tree. The funny part I remember about the tree is that my late brother, whenever he was naughty, would climb the tree because he knew my mother wouldn’t catch him. I never climbed the tree as I was always afraid to climb on it,” Miles said.

A Good Samaritan, who wished not to be named, hired a private feller to cut down the old tree.

Lovemore Makina, from the Monkey Tree Felling Company, said they used a 40m rope to bring the branches down.

“It took us two days to cut down the tree. It was a challenge as we have never cut down such a tree – it was a wide tree,” Makina said.

Bridget Harris, who lives next door to the Varries, said her late brother, who stayed at the house before the Varries, planted the tree many years ago.

*Landscaper and horticulturist David Viljoen shared some light about the Populus deltoides tree.

“Populus deltoides is a fast growing deciduous tree that belongs to the poplar family. It originates from North America. It becomes 20 to 40 m tall, can have a trunk up to 1.8m in diameter and is fairly drought-resistant.

“It forms a round head and has large, attractive leaves. It is ideal for lining avenues. Cottonwood gets its common name from the wads of cotton surrounding its seeds, which facilitate dispersal by wind and water,” he said.