A ceremony to mark the loss of 39 cypress trees along Kilmore East Road, Kilmore, will take place on Saturday.
Kilmore and District Residents and Ratepayers Association, KADRRA, is inviting the public to attend the ceremony on the corner of Union and East streets at 10.30 am on Saturday to mourn the loss of the trees.
The Monterey cypress trees next to Kilmore Racecourse cut down last month, despite protestations from community members.
The trees along the northern boundary of the racecourse reserve were deemed hazardous by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, DELWP, and are due to be replaced with new trees once they are removed.
But Kilmore residents continue to be upset by the move.
The ecumenical ceremony will include Father André Du Plooy of Christ Church, Kilmore, Father Prakash Cutinha of St Patricks Church, Kilmore, and community members. Other faith leaders are also invited to assist.
KADRRA member Anne Radden Rose said the ceremony was a way for people to express their grief.
“Members of the Kilmore community are by now well aware that the old cypresses in Union Street next to the bridle walk by the racetrack have been removed,” she said.
“We believe that community-minded citizens planted them in 1924.
“Sadly, due to lack of pruning and maintenance causing branches to drop they were declared to be unsafe and they were cut down.
“Many Kilmore community members have told us that they are distressed at the loss of these trees that were part of the Kilmore landscape for almost 100 years.”
Ms Radden Rose said people who felt strongly about the loss of the trees were invited to join them at the ceremony.
