Tzaneen: 150 years of legacy comes to an end

The remnants of Dineo licked through Tzaneen last week, dropping a number of trees in its wake.
Among the giants to fall was the famous 150 year old Acacia in Circle Drive, an actual monument to Tzaneen’s heritage. The front yard of Claire’s Cottages in Circle drive has been home to this Acacia since before the owners moved there 34 years ago. On Friday February 17 they witnessed the thundering crack and felt its reverberations as it fell at around 01:30.

Back in the fifties the tree was already considered a landmark. Amm called it the biggest Acacia he’s ever seen, and labelled it along with many others he marked over the years in the area. He established it as one of the monuments to Tzaneen’s heritage.

Amm settled in the valley among some of the earliest pioneers of the area. His wife Monica, was granddaughter to Bill Tooley, who started Kings Walden in Agatha as the first citrus farmer of the area. Monica designed the gardens of the Coach House and managed them for almost 20 years. The Amms farmed in the area for 47 years before retiring to Macadamia Estates.

He was also co-author of the definitive book: Trees and Shrubs of Mpumalanga and the Kruger National Park. The 700-page book took five years to research. “I’d get together with co-authors Ernst Schmidt, Mervyn Lötter, Warren McCleland, and John Burrows and we’d go through all the slides and chose the best ones for the book. The book is into its second edition”, says Mike.

Its branches towered over the whole road, standing at about 35 meters tall with roughly 100m2 in its drip line.

And almost as if to honour its tenants who had taken care of it for over 30 years, the giant lay to rest across the road, away from the house.

See also:

Dineo brings some welcome rain

Citizen: Dineo brings welcome rain to Tzaneen, wind blows down trees

Dineo expected to bring heavy down pours this weekend

World famous Giant splits

Citizen: Trunk of world famous baobab tree splits