Landmark palm tree destroyed

WHEN Ramsgate homeowner Anthony Brodowicz came home from work last Saturday he was horrified to find three men armed with chainsaws hacking down a magnificent palm tree on the verge of his property.

Mr Brodowicz is passionate and knowledgeable about palm trees and has planted a number of them in and around his garden.

He also believes that homeowners have a duty not only to keep their properties looking good but to do their bit to beautify their neighbourhoods.

With this in mind he contacted the now defunct Ramsgate Town Board many years ago to ask if he could extend his garden onto the verge surrounding his property. After receiving the go-ahead he beautified this patch of public space with with palm trees and other decorative plants.

Included in the mix of different palm species in and around his property was the striking Kosi Bay or raphia palm ( Raphia australis) which he planted outside his boundary fence on the corner of Louisa Drive and the R620 nearly 20 years ago.

These palms attain great heights and this one, nearly three storeys high, was something of a landmark in the area. It was also the tree the chainsaw operators had targeted.

“To add insult to injury, the tree had fallen onto my fence, damaging it to such a degree that the security of my property was compromised. Clearly they were not qualified tree fellers as they were not using ropes or any sort of safety equipment. Someone could well have been injured when the palm came down.

“I was shocked beyond belief and asked them what they thought they were doing. They told me the owner of a nearby holiday home had employed them to chop the palm down,” Mr Brodowicz said.

When Mr Brodowicz confronted him, the neighbour openly admitted he was responsible for the chopping down of the raphia palm but he declined to give a reason for his action.

“When I asked whether he had obtained permission to cut down the palm, he said it was on ‘municipal land’ so its felling hadn’t needed authorisation,” he said.

After Mr Brodowicz pointed out the damage to his fence, the neighbour said he would rectify this.

“He did, but the repairs are totally inadequate. I then reported the matter to the police. Officers came around to investigate and ordered the neighbour to clear the verge of debris but said that they could not charge him with a crime. He complied and had the debris removed, but the skyline is just not the same without the palm,” Mr Brodowicz said sadly.

“I am determined to take the matter further and hope to see the culprit prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Sadly, you can choose your friends but not your neighbours.”

Mr Brodowicz has contacted various authorities and is awaiting their response.

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