Goulburn man Mick Butz calls for rethink on CBD Manchurian pears

Former arborist Mick Butz said he recently left his vehicle in Auburn Street outside the Goulburn Workers Club from late one afternoon to the early hours of the next morning. When he returned he found permanent marks on the panels courtesy of corellas attacking small fruits on the Manchurian pear trees the council had planted in recent years.

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Leaf and seed matter was strewn over the ute's front bonnet. Mr Butz said the fruit's stains couldn't be washed off and was permanently etched into the paintwork.

"I took it to a panel beater/spray painter who applied some material to it that he thought would remove it but it didn't," Mr Butz said.

"..My point is that the council has picked the wrong tree. My main beef is against the ones in the main street because the seeds drop and do damage to cars."

The council planted the species along part of the thoroughfare in 2016. A year earlier it removed several plane trees in Auburn Street which it described as having an invasive root system. This included one from outside the former State Bank near the Goldsmith Street corner and another from in front of the AMP building, where the root system had broken plumbing, causing a historic lift to flood and costly repairs.

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In 2016 a row of eight plane trees were felled after Goulburn Mazda principal Kieran Davies argued the root system was damaging the road, pavement and stormwater infrastructure. This in turn was costly during heavy rainstorms. Mr Davies replaced them with chanticleer pears.

Mr Butz said he advised the council 30 years ago that plane trees were unsuitable in the CBD. He feels just as strongly about Manchurian pears.

"Corellas get in them from early morning to late afternoon and the seed matter that drops is trashing cars," he said.

"They might be small now but they grow into large trees and drop their limbs. They're on both sides Reign Street and just about every one has lost limbs."

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Mr Butz suggested the Manchurian pears be replaced with crepe myrtles.

The council declined comment on whether the species was appropriate and if there had been other similar reports of damaged cars.

Mr Butz has also been vocal about other CBD matters over the years. In 2019 he called for the council to "bite the bullet" and cull pigeons from the city centre due to their damage to buildings.

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