Stoop down to the base of a large sycamore outside Arrowtown’s library corner and you’ll see the words, ‘Mary Cotter Tree Planted
1867’, on a plaque.
This tree — the first planted along the famous Buckingham Street avenue of trees — is the subject of a children’s book that’s just been launched.
The library corner was formerly occupied by the family home of early Irish immigrants Frances and Richard Cotter.
Just before this tree was planted, Richard promised his daughter Mary, then only about 20 months old, they’d call it after her if she danced around it.
Like the other 24 or so trees on the south side of the avenue, this was donated by the town’s second mayor, Alexander Innes.
Now, 155 years later, Dunedin-based Tony Hanning, who was born and raised in Queenstown, and whose maternal grandmother was one of Mary Cotter’s sisters, has written The Mary Cotter Tree.
Appropriately, another Mary Cotter — great-granddaughter of one of Mary Cotter’s brothers — has illustrated the book.
Hanning, who’s 84, says ‘‘we knew the story all our lives, and it was important to our grandmother, in particular’’.
‘‘I was asked to tell the story so damn often, within family, and now I’ve got a great-granddaughter about the same age as Mary, so it was easy to sit down and think of her when I was writing.’’
To give the book historical context, Hanning’s added an appendix chronicling both Mary Cotter’s family and Alexander Innes, whom he believes deserves better recognition.
The self-published book, designed by former Otago University medical school illustrator Peter Scott, retails for $20, plus postage and
packaging, if required; to order a copy, email [email protected]
