Tree tragedy
by Carla Caruso
An international student from Indonesia has been identified as the victim of a freak accident after a tree partially collapsed in Bullrush Park / Warnpangga (Park 10).
Twenty-two-year-old Alifia Soeryo was sitting under a large river red gum – on Wednesday afternoon (February 7) – when it split at the base and a section of the trunk fell on her.
The tree, about 20m high, was on the edge of a sports field in Park 10, near Frome Road. The fallen section was said to weigh about 10 tonnes.
A young woman was killed in a freak accident at the Adelaide University soccer fields when part of a tree fell and crushed her. Photo: Dasha Havrilenko/The Advertiser.
The tragedy is being investigated by the Adelaide City Council and SA Police, with a report being prepared for the coroner.
In an article in The Advertiser (*subscriber link*), Alifia Soeryo has been remembered by loved ones as “an avid bike rider, Taylor Swift fan, and loving friend”.
A Facebook photo of Alifia Soeryo, shared by The Advertiser.
APA president Shane Sody described the incident as a terrible tragedy. “Gum trees do drop limbs – or fall over – but it’s incredibly rare for it to be fatal.
“I can’t remember there ever being such a death anywhere in the Park Lands before.
“The City Council actually chopped down a sharply-leaning river red gum tree, next to the river in Park 11, not far from Botanic Park, less than two weeks ago.
“This was to minimise the risk of something like this. So, they are proactive.”
This sharply-leaning river red gum in Park 11 was chopped down by City Council staff only a fortnight ago. Now just a stump remains. Photo: Google Maps.
Last month, Shane also photographed two huge river red gums at Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16), which had fallen over and were being gradually chopped up by City of Adelaide staff.
The trees had toppled onto the bluestone-lined Botanic Creek channel, off East Terrace. Slices of the trunks were more than a metre in diameter.
Fallen trees at Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) last month (above and below), which City of Adelaide staff gradually chopped up. Photos: Shane Sody.
Fears about the safety of gum trees were reignited two years ago when a two-tonne branch fell at the TreeClimb adventure park in Blue Gum Park / Kurangga (Park 20). Fortunately, no one was hurt in that incident.
At the time, we spoke to Dr Darren Peacock, the National Trust of SA chief executive, who said Aussie trees should continue to be celebrated, especially the mature ones.
“We do know that there are more deaths from lightning strikes than falling tree branches, so the risks shouldn’t be overstated,” Dr Peacock said. “The risk of being fatally injured by a falling tree is one in 5 million; being struck by lighting is one in 1.6 million.”
Some additional perspective is provided by the Facebook group, 20 Metre Trees:
Vicki-Jo Russell was named among SA’s top 50 most influential environmentalists by The Advertiser.
Adelaide ecologist Vicki-Jo Russell, who’s the program manager for revegetation services at Trees For Life, was similarly positive about gums when we spoke to her after the 2022 TreeClimb incident.
“While there is a risk of falling branches associated with some large old gum trees, their magic and value to people and wildlife alike is undeniable.
“Even without sitting directly underneath them, we all enjoy the benefits of their beauty, interest, shade, and shelter.
“My children spent many hours playing in open spaces and gardens with large gums.
“We always exercised caution during periods of hot, windy or stormy weather – and areas recovering from fire – and kept a few metres out of the footprint of their canopy.
“However, in the context of a year, these periods are brief and infrequent, and it was a small inconvenience to be able to enjoy these trees for generations.”
Banner photo of emergency services at the scene by ABC News/Guido Salazar.