NEWSLETTER Registered Address: P.O. Box 1004, Preston, 3072. Registered Number A0006535U Information: PRESIDENT: Phone: (03) 9478-0269 BILL SAUNDERS E-mail: ISSUE NO. 217 [email protected]
JUNE 2021 Web Address: www.prestongardenclub.org.au
CONSERVATORY Crotons from Queensland, ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Bunnings has bought them all. It's all happening at the Fitzroy Notice is hereby given that the Gardens Conservatory in the last Annual General Meeting of Preston week of May. After 2 years and 3 Garden Club Inc. will be held at months closed, finally the 8.00pm, on July 28th, 2021, in Conservatory will be open again Preston Shire Hall, corner of High very soon. The whole glass roof & Gower Streets, Preston. has been replaced with new rafters and toughened glass at a cost BIRTHDAY BOY around $800,000. The new roof
looks amazing and the walls have At the last meeting we gave Jack been freshly painted. Edgar a big surprise with a delicious chocolate cake for his 90th birthday. As you can see in the photo, Jack wanted it all for himself!
After the lock down, come and The crew of gardeners are visit the Fitzroy Gardens and installing the tropical display. The Conservatory, autumn leaves are Conservatory was to open on everywhere. The Elm trees are Monday May 31st but now has turning yellow. been delayed until we come out of
the latest lock down. The Manager was saying he could not buy any GALLIPOLI LONE PINE This tree was planted by the Duke of Gloucester in 1934 and raised There is an intriguing and little from seed from a pine cone found known puzzle about the true in a Turkish trench and sent home botanical identity of the famous from Gallipoli to his mother in Lone Pine at Gallipoli. New South Wales by Lance Corporal Benjamin Smith. His It's well known that a tall pine tree brother Mark Smith had been killed stood on a prominent ridge and was in the battle.
a reference point for soldiers on both sides until it was destroyed by The problem is Aleppo Pine is not gunfire. native to Turkey or the Gallipoli Peninsula.
Aleppo pine grows naturally in other Mediterranean countries like Spain, Italy, Greece, Syria and Morocco, but is planted widely.
However, logs and branches of Aleppo Pine were brought into Gallipoli from plantations beyond the Dardanelles and used to roof the Turkish trenches and dug-outs. This seems to be the most likely source of Lance Corporal Smith's cone.
A photo of the genuine Lone Pine Whereas, Turkish Pine (Pinus (Pinus brutia) at Gallipoli taken brutia) is native to Gallipoli. before the battle. Turkish pines are very closely
related to Aleppo pine, and at the The battle of Lone Pine is deeply time were regarded as a subspecies, etched in the psyche of Australians, but now they are usually classified New Zealanders and the Turks. It as a different species. took place between 6 and 10
August 1915 with tragic losses of Scattered specimens of Turkish over 2,000 ANZACs and a further Pine grew across peninsula, and all 7,000 Turkish soldiers. the trees except the famous one
were cut down by the Turks for Over the decades the Battle of construction of their defensive Lone Pine became increasingly trenches. symbolic and many memorial A young Ginkgo biloba, also known as the Maidenhair Tree. parks in towns and cities around Showing off its golden autumn Australia were planted with a foliage. specimen or grove of "Lone Pines", usually said to have been propagated from the original tree. But this is not quite right.
The most common Lone Pine tree planted is Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis) with seedlings often derived from a parent tree planted Thomas Keith McDowell, pictured in the grounds of the Australian here with his wife, brought a piece War Memorial in Canberra. of history home, a cone from the real Lone Pine (Pinus brutia). Page 2 A cone from the "real" Lone Pine DR PEPPER CAKE was collected by Sergeant Thomas Keith McDowell who put it in his This is the easiest Dr Pepper knapsack, where it remained until chocolate cake recipe you'll ever he returned to Victoria after the make. The dense, moist, rich, war. chocolate flavour is accompanied by a simple chocolate icing. Four seedlings were raised some years later from the seed of this Pinus brutia cone and planted in The Lone Pine standing at the several places including the Shrine cemetery at Gallipoli and revered of Remembrance in Melbourne, by thousands of ANZAC and Wattle Park and later the Forestry Turkish pilgrims was planted in the School at Creswick. 1920s and is a Stone Pine (Pinus pinea) and native to Italy.
The provenance of both the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) and the Ingredients: Turkish pine (Pinus brutia), now 250 mL (1 cup) Dr Pepper / Coke / widely planted across Australian Pepsi / Root Beer. civic gardens, can be traced back to 250 mL (1 cup) white sugar. the Gallipoli battlefield of 1915. 125 mL (½ cup) brown sugar. 115g (4 ounces) bittersweet SEED LIBRARY chocolate 70%. 115g (125 mL / ½ cup) butter. 500 mL (280g / 2 cups) all-purpose flour. 10 mL (2 tsp) baking soda. 5 mL (1 tsp) baking powder. 5 mL (1 tsp) coarse salt. 250 mL (1 cup) buttermilk. 2 eggs. 5 mL (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract One of the four original 15 mL (1 Tbsp) chocolate liqueur descendants of the genuine Lone (optional). pine (Pinus brutia) was planted at Wattle Park in Melbourne in 1933. Icing: 115g (4 ounces) bittersweet So only these trees can claim to be The Alphington Community chocolate 70%. the true descendants of the original Centre has a seed library. It is open 250 mL (1 cup) butter. Lone Pine at Gallipoli. all the time and you can collect Pinch salt. seeds at any time. Also if you have 60 mL (¼ cup) Dr Pepper. To add to the befuddlement, the excess seeds it’s appreciated if you 5 mL (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract. "Lone Pine" now growing and could label and package them and 15 mL (1 Tbsp) chocolate liqueur revered by thousands of visitors to leave in the library or drop them (Optional). the ANZAC War Memorial at into the office if you can’t package 4 cups powdered sugar - Gallipoli is a Stone Pine (Pinus them. It is situated at 2 Kelvin approximate. pinea), which is not even native to Road, Alphington. the region but grows naturally in Method: Italy and is seen at its best Preheat the oven to 190ºC (375°F). providing shade in Rome. Put the pop, sugars, chocolate, and butter in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until fully melted and blended. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Page 3 Sift together the flour, baking soda, gardening, and has been a popular baking powder and salt. and valued member ever since. In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk, vanilla, and chocolate Val suffered a massive stroke liqueur. resulting in her passing away on Grease, flour and line 2 - 9" cake 21/05/2021. pans with parchment.
We, the members of Preston Whisk the milk mixture and eggs Garden Club pass on our FIND THE WORD into the slightly cooled chocolate condolences to Val's six children mixture. Whisk in the dry and their partners, sixteen Well, how did you go with finding ingredients, in 2-3 additions. grandchildren and four great the word in the last newsletter? The Divide the batter between the pans grandchildren. I know that they word is – and bake about 30 to 35 minutes, will truly miss this lovely lady, as or until a tester comes out clean. we will miss her at our gatherings. MEDICINE Let the cakes cool completely, then R.I.P. Val. remove from the pans and cool on The word this month has 8 letters. a rack. What could it be?
Look at the four pictures for the clue. Answer next newsletter.
Meanwhile, make the icing. Using your preferred method - melt the chocolate, then let cool almost to room temperature. Cream the butter, and add in about SUPPER ¼ of the icing sugar. Whisk in the melted chocolate, After many, many years Margaret vanilla, liqueur and salt. Trewella has retired from MONTHLY COMPETITION Slowly whisk in just enough icing organising the supper at every sugar to stiffen and attain desired monthly meeting. A new face in June 23rd: One Pot/Container sweetness. the kitchen now is Helen Salisbury, Fern. Ice as a layer cake. who has stepped into the role. Anybody who is in the cooking VAL NEWLAND: 01/01/1935 - mood, we welcome you to bring July 28th: A Floral Arrangement 21/05/2021 along a homemade cake/biscuit etc Using Flowers and Foliage. on the night? Why not try one of It is with sincere sadness that we the many recipes from our MONTHLY MEETING have learned of the death of our newsletter? long time member, Val Newland. June 23rd: Kathleen Tants - Soil Val and husband, Les (dec.) were MEMBERS NEWS Preparation. stalwarts of Northcote Garden Club for many years. After the demise of HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU July 28th: AGM Northcote Garden Club Val transferred her membership to June: Pat Kilpatrick and Gavin Preston Garden Club, where she Warner. already had good friends with whom to share her love of