Dundee High School’s two signature Jacaranda trees are to be cut down today.  The trees have been the face of the school for years but the school said the roots of the trees are starting to lift the foundations of the historic Lucy Meaken Hall which is a registered museum.

The school brought in experts who said the only way to save the building would be to cut down the trees.

“After further consideration, we have also realized that this is an opportunity to replace these beauties with indigenous trees. Indigenous trees will be beneficial to the environment; they don’t require fertilisers to grow and they require fewer pesticides than other plants,” said principal, Rudi Haschke.

“We also have a huge problem with seating on our school grounds and we have decided to let their legacy live on as chairs for the learners. In this bitter sweet moment we would like to give everyone a chance to say their final goodbyes or to at least just get used to the idea! We sure took a while…”