A DISPUTE between a resident and Wodonga Council over a tree has made it all the way to court.
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Steven King could only get the council’s attention to his concerns after he set fire to the branches after lopping the tree.
He was charged with criminal damage after spending months trying to get staff to cut down the Norfolk Island hibiscus.
The seeds of the tree species contain fine hairs similar to fibreglass that are so itchy, it’s commonly known as an “itchy bomb tree”.
The tree outside King’s Gayview Drive home certainly irritated him, causing respiratory problems and hives when he mowed his lawns.
After months of dramas with the council he took to the tree himself, lopping most of it back.
The 32-year-old then took the branches into the council and asked they come down and collect them.
When he failed to get a response after several weeks, King set fire to the branches, which got police involved in the matter.
Wodonga Magistrates Court heard many councils had a policy of removing the hibiscus given the problems they caused. King escaped conviction or a fine.
