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Statement of Significance

Buttery Family
Disembarking with his wife Sarah and three children at Port Adelaide in the early 1870s, Henry Buttery’s belongings purportedly contained a Quercus suber (cork oak). A carpenter, Henry initially worked in the furniture trade and an undertaking business until opening a furniture outlet and workshop near the corner of Coke Street and The Parade in 1883. Purchasing a nearby residence on Edward Street in 1891, the Buttery family moved in and welcomed another eight children. Henry planted a cork oak in the back yard of the new family home. The tree eventually grew to be a well-known local landmark of the Buttery site.

The People’s Tree
In 1977 the former Buttery’s business and home were demolished to make room for a new Norwood Mall including a carpark and Woolworths Supermarket, however the cork oak tree remained. In 2013 plans to build a new Coles supermarket and mall on the site sought to remove the tree. Fearing for their beloved landmark the local community formed the Norwood Cork Tree Action Group campaigning to save the tree. Today the tree stands tall as a witness to our community’s affection for their heritage, a reminder of the Buttery family’s endeavours in early Norwood, and a symbol of hope that migrants are free to pursue a better life in this nation.