On Thursday 12 July 2011, the Deputy Chief Minister Mr Andrew Barr MLA joined Mr Thomas Keneally AO, in planting a Araucaria cunninghamii (Hoop pine) in the Central Valley at the National Arboretum Canberra.
The tree planted by Mr Keneally AO, one of Australia’s Living Treasures, joins the Hoop pines already planted by iconic sporting identities David Compese, Robert de Castella, Lauren Jackson and Mal Meninga.
Many Canberrans are aware of Mr Keneally’s incredible talent and of his work as both an author and historian Mr Keneally’s novels have won many prestigious awards. In 1982 he won the Booker Prize for ‘Schindler’s Ark’, later published in the United States as ‘Schindler’s List’. The movie version was directed by Steven Spielberg in 1993, earning the director his first Best Director Oscar.
The Hoop pine was planted on one of the terraces of the central valley ceremonial gardens in a commanding position overlooking Lake Burley Griffin, with views of the city centre and the Parliamentary triangle.
