Catholics want statues to stay

CATHOLICS WANT STATUES TO STAY: Wattle Range Council approached the Catholic community to consider moving statues from Father Woods Park into Penola to alleviate road safety and park access issues. Photo supplied - Minu Krishna SR Wattle Range Council.

Kathy Gandolfi

STATUES at Father Woods Park north of Penola will not be moved into the town following a request from Wattle Range Council being turned down by the Catholic community.

Council consulted with the Catholic community following its November meeting which resolved to explore the possibility of moving the timber carved statues of Father Tenison Woods and Saint Mary MacKillop into Penola to alleviate Riddoch Highway traffic safety concerns and access issues at Father Woods Park.

The issues were brought to a head by plans for the Coonawarra Rail Trail, which is under construction, to include a path off the trail to access the park via an unmade road reserve through a farming property (which is opposed by the farmer involved) to the Riddoch Highway near Father’s Woods Park on the opposite side of the highway.

It was thought the move might also help to provide an economic benefit to the Penola township.

Council officers met with representatives of the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide, Penola’s Catholic Parish and the Father Woods Park Committee.

At Council’s December meeting recently, Project Manager Muni Krishna reported that the Catholic representatives were not in favour of moving the sculptures as Father Woods Park is significant to the history of Father Tenison Woods’ work in the region.

The report said the Catholic representatives advised Council the park statues are being re-carved and the new sculptures would be installed in the park early in the new year.

Over the last ten years, visitor books kept by the church for the park conservatively indicate more than 34,000 people have visited Father Woods Park.

Council’s report said the Catholic representatives were strongly in favour of the Coonawarra Rail Trail project with the belief that the trail and the park would complement each other and significantly increase the number of people visiting the park.

Mr Krishna reported that a story, which appeared in The Border Watch of 27 June 1883, was presented to the Catholic representatives by the Council officers as part of asking for existing signage on a huge gum tree on the edge of the Riddoch Highway, which names it as ‘Father Woods Tree’, be relocated to another significant tree within the park as the article reported that a storm had toppled the original Father Woods tree.

The article read: “… We hear that a cyclone passed through the Limestone Ridge Station on the Penola and Narracoorte (sic) road, making a clean sweep of the trees in its path. Among the old monarchs of the forest that went down before it was a tree at the side of the main road, near Mrs MacArthur’s home station, locally known as the Rev JET Wood’s gum tree…”

Mr Krishna reported: “Although reluctant, the Church is open to the possibility of identifying another significant tree in the Father Woods Park to alleviate the safety concerns associated with crossing the Riddoch Highway [to access the currently signed tree].

“Further discussion will be occurring about this matter with the hope that with appropriate signage we can acknowledge both the fact that services were held under the shade of the large redgum trees by Father Woods and acknowledge the fact that the original tree was lost in the major storm event back in 1883.”