JANET Chambers' mother was a conservationist with a flair for anything that made the world a little bit brighter. So it seemed fitting on Saturday that after she had planted a totara tree in her mother Denise Taylor's memory, she scattered rainbow-coloured sequins over it. Ms Chambers is the first member ofthe public to donate a tree as part of Tauranga City Council's Commemorative Tree Project, which started on Saturday at Gate Pa Domain Recreation. Ms Chambers said for many years while living overseas her mother would write her letters and on opening the envelopes "sparkles" would fall out. Ms Taylor passed away in March last year, aged 84. She had lived in Tauranga for 50 years. "She was a conservationist and greenie. She wouldn't want a bunch of dead flowers, she'd much rather have something living - a living memorial is very appropriate," her daughter said. Tauranga City Council arborist Richard Conning said a commemorative garden had been set up at McLaren Falls Park about 20-years ago but it was now becoming full. Consultation showed the public was keen for another dedicated site. Council has provided two - one at Gate Pa and the other off Longview Drive in Waiariki Reserve at Papamoa. At Gate Pa on Saturday, council donated 17 totara trees on behalf of 17 principal city partnerships, in appreciation of their contribution to the city. Anyone can place a memorial tree in one of the parks for a cost of $500. Council guarantees the tree for the first five years of its life and after that, will maintain the tree forever. It is hoped the community will take ownership of the sites as a whole, rather than individual trees. Ms Chambers, who grew up in Tauranga but now lives in Auckland, decided on a memorial tree as her family has one for her step-brother Raymond Taylor at McLaren Falls Park and the fact her mother was cremated and the family graveyard is in Ireland. The tree gave Ms Taylor's family and friends - and relatives from Ireland - somewhere to go and remember her. Ms Chambers was accompanied at the planting by her husband Steve Moody and her mother's good friend Ann Simon.
