Heart of Carterton sequoia comes home

Terry Schischka (left), Gilbert Evans, Isobel Ordish and Murray Campbell return the tree to St David's Union Church in its new guise as a reception table. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

St David's Union Church in Carterton has welcomed back -- in part -- the giant sequoia tree that graced its High St site for more than 100 years.

Members of the Henley Men's Shed had crafted a table from the trunk of the well-known tree and installed it in the church foyer yesterday.

The Wellingtonia tree (giant sequoia) was a Carterton landmark, but was felled in 2012 as its westward lean had become increasingly dangerous.

St David's elder, Isobel Ordish, said she had had mixed feelings about seeing the old tree cut down but was glad to see some of it restored to the church.

"I think it's a wonderful idea. I didn't know what was going to happen to the big piece of wood ... it's good to see something of the old tree."

The High Street view of the giant sequoia tree - felled in 2012 - that was planted by Bishop Redwood at St David's Union Church.

Another St David's elder, Gilbert Evans, said he owed the members of the Men's Shed an expression of gratitude for creating something that would be with the church for years.

"[The tree] had been worrying us for 20 years but people said it was a Carterton icon.

"We thought what on earth are we to do with it?"

Henley Men's Shed member Terry Schischka said he and Murray Campbell had been working on the table for several days a week for about a month, after being asked by Ken O'Dowd, a member of the church, to turn a piece of the trunk into a table.

"He approached me to see if the Men's Shed could make a table out of it [and] could we take it and get it dressed and cut out.

"It was just a matter of putting a finish on it, so it wasn't a great amount of time to make it."

The table, which is 1.8m long and 700cm wide, will be used for floral displays and pamphlets.

The tree was planted in 1890 by John Reynolds from a seedling supplied by a Carterton grower.

It stood at 25m, and was decorated with Christmas lights every year.