'LONE PINE' SEEDLINGS A TURKISH GIFT TO ARBORETUM

Seventeen ‘Lone Pine' seedlings, donated by the Turkish Embassy, are to be planted at the Canberra International Arboretum and Gardens, Chief Minister Jon Stanhope announced today - on the 93rd anniversary of the battle on Lone Pine Ridge, Gallipoli.

The seedlings were grown from seed from the commemorative ‘Lone Pine' planted in 1934 at the Australian War Memorial.

They will form part of an eventual forest of Pinus halepensis and Pinus brutia at the site.

Mr Stanhope said the donated seedlings would be planted on the site in the coming weeks and he predicted that they would become a tourist destination in their own right as the arboretum developed into an iconic tourist attraction.

"The story of the War Memorial's ‘Lone Pine' is a story familiar to many, and one that has captured Australia's heart," Mr Stanhope said today.

"A plaque at the Australian War Memorial tells of the Australian soldier, whose brother perished in the battle, retrieving a pine cone from one of the branches used by the Turks to cover their trenches. The soldier sent the cone to his mother, who germinated a tree from its seed and presented the tree to the War Memorial in 1934, in memory of her son and the sons of others who died at Lone Pine.

"The Lone Pine story is a significant part of the broader ANZAC story and an emotional link between the people of Australia, New Zealand and Turkey. It is appropriate that among the forests to be planted on the site will be a forest of Pinus halepensis and Pinus brutia - a place I believe will have resonance for many Canberrans and visitors to the arboretum, a resonance heightened by the planting of the 17 ‘Lone Pines' that are the gift of the Turkish Embassy."

One of the best-known battles of the Gallipoli campaign, the Battle of Lone Pine was launched by the 1st Brigade AIF in the late afternoon of 6 August 1915 against solid Turkish positions. While the main Turkish trench was quickly over-run the battle continued for four days and resulted in more than 2000 Australian and more than 5000 Turkish casualties. Seven Australian were awarded Victoria Crosses for their role in the battle.