Comprobación de la actividad adelgazante

Previous experience in doing research of this nature was restricted to my Master’s thesis on memorials and monuments of all types, not just trees. My approach then was to undertake the construction of an inventory through fieldwork, along with the search of secondary sources and theses, to identify what was in the landscape. Archival work was then carried out to help identify further examples as well as uncover the narratives of selected memorials and monuments. The resulting inventory was as comprehensive as time allowed, though by no means definitive.

This approach was applied to the current research. Taking what information that was available on commemorative trees in Christchurch, that being trees identified through the master’s thesis, a published pamphlet on commemorative trees planted in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, as well as a similar list of trees in the Botanic Gardens from the internet (these lists were not identical), a preliminary inventory was constructed. Field work was undertaken to locate these trees in the landscape. Other trees were located by walking around various parks and reserves in Christchurch. At the same time a search of the literature identified a number of articles on international examples of First World War memorial avenues, along with a New Zealand example in Oamaru. The only thesis directly related to the use of trees for commemoration was by Jane Haddow, at the University of Melbourne, Australia and as a non-interloan

item this thesis was not available to me in New Zealand. Support for the approach of going into the field before undertaking archival research comes from Norkunas (2002). In her research on memorials and monuments in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA, she found that the city authorities did not hold a comprehensive list of the city’s monuments and that without knowing the name, location and date of the monuments, finding information in the various municipal archives was very difficult. This lack of success sent her out into the field to first locate and record the monuments before going to investigate a diverse range of official archives and documents and informal sources to gain further information and insight.

Having established an inventory for Christchurch, a newspaper search was carried out to locate further examples and gather newspaper articles on known plantings to see what information was given. Of particular interest was information associated with the practice of commemorative tree planting and the context in which the trees were planted. It was hoped to find specific information on the occasion, who planted the tree and their significance, who spoke at the ceremony and their significance, how many trees were planted, what species and the symbolic significance of the trees. In addition, in response to the comments of Brubaker & Feischmidt (2002) and Beiner (2004) on the lack of public reception of memorials and monuments, a check was made in relation to commemorative trees. This was incorporated into the newspaper search by extending the inspection for articles up to four weeks beyond the known planting dates. Only two articles were found. From this it would appear that commemorative trees too suffered from the same lack of post-planting commentary.

The newspaper search for new trees was problematic. Indexes to local newspapers, if they existed, were haphazard and generally held little of value for the search for commemorative trees. Since little assistance was gained from newspaper indexes, the search for additional and supplementary information focussed around two themes, royalty and Arbor Day. These were occasions on which trees were known to be planted and were celebrated country wide. An initial period of four months was spent viewing local newspapers from 1860 to the 1950s and the Otago Daily Times (ODT) and Timaru Herald from 1860 to 1900, on microfile in Christchurch. Provincial newspapers, such as the Oamaru Mail, Ashburton Guardian, and the Waimate Advertiser, along with the ODT and Timaru Herald after 1900, were consulted in

conjunction with field work carried out in those centres. For each commemorative tree identified in Christchurch, associated newspaper articles were collected where available. The process of newspaper article acquisition was then applied to each centre, where access to newspapers was available. Trees identified through the newspaper were located in the field where possible.

In conjunction with the newspaper search, three other areas were also investigated. Contact was made with appropriate local councils to ascertain what information they held. At the same time archival work was started to both identify more trees and planting schemes and to obtain background information. The internet was used to identify further examples and was a useful tool in the gathering of references to trees in Australia. Before carrying out field work outside of Christchurch, inquiries were made at the appropriate local councils on information availability and internet searches were carried out. When on location council offices were visited if necessary, parks were walked to locate the trees, photos taken, archives visited, newspapers searched and books on local histories viewed. While in Melbourne, in addition to above, the University of Melbourne library was visited to view Jane Haddow’s master’s thesis and several journals not available at the University of Canterbury or on-line. Reference to trees outside the study area were also collected to extend the spatial coverage of the practice and to help ascertain if the patterns of planting found in New Zealand were similar or different from those found in Australia and beyond.

At the outset of this research project it was unclear what information would be available on trees planted and their ceremonies, therefore, there is a strong opportunistic element in relation to the search, acquisition and subsequent use of material. This is reflected in the adaptability of the research design, choices made and the sources used. With limited amount of official information available on commemorative trees, references to and information on these trees was, by necessity, gained from a large number of secondary sources. Perhaps the most opportunistic of these secondary sources has been the use of the internet in providing access to a range of material, databases and electronic archives, both local and international, which previously would not have been available with recourse to traditional sources. This has resulted in the use of a diverse range of examples from the British and American memorialising traditions over a broad geographic scale.