Indira Naidoo had walked past the Moreton Bay figs in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden and Domain many times without giving them much thought.
That changed after her youngest sister Manika took her own life during Melbourne’s darkest year of rolling COVID lockdowns in 2020.
Two weeks after the shocking news, Ms Naidoo was sitting on the lawn in the Domain with her head in her hands when she noticed a “sense of shimmery-ness around me and golden warmth.”
“I was thinking what’s happening and I opened my eyes, and all this light was coming through the branches of this tree above me, and I realized all these branches belonged to one tree,” Ms Naidoo told ABC TV’s Compass.
“There was such a sense of solace — as if it was giving me a hug and a real warmth and calm about it.”
As she looked closer at the giant tree, she was struck by its magic.
“I suddenly thought there’s something special here,” Ms Naidoo said.
“This is a special tree. This is a special place.”
Ms Naidoo, who presents ABC Radio’s Nightlife program, has since written a book about finding healing in nature after her sister’s death.
The Moreton Bay fig where she returned over and over seeking solace is featured in her book, The Space Between the Stars.
Since the book’s publication in April, hundreds of people have flocked to the same remarkable tree — many seeking its comfort as they navigate their own grief.
‘Such a beautiful tree’
Tracey Fitzpatrick has visited the tree, which is thought to date back to at least 1871, several times since reading Ms Naidoo’s book.
“It’s so inspirational. It’s such a beautiful tree,” she says.
Ms Fitzpatrick has lost family members in the past 12 months.
“[The book] inspired me to look beyond my own inward grief and really connect with nature and see how it helps you heal,” she said.
“When I’m looking at the tree, I think it’s an energy that emits from it that is life going on and continuing to be okay.”
The Royal Botanic Gardens has even organized several tours of the tree due to the demand from people wanting to visit and learn more about it.
Fiona Jostsons brought her cousin Jennifer Vince from Melbourne to visit the tree.
“There is a bit of an emotional response to this tree because I lost sisters in my youth … so that resonates with me,” Ms Vince said.
Ms Jostsons said she was drawn to the tree’s “sense of calmness — that you can get through anything.”
Connection with trees common
Moreton Bay figs are the signature tree of the botanic garden and the Domain, with the oldest remaining one planted in 1845.
The one that Ms Naidoo formed a special connection with has a boardwalk around it to protect its roots as it towers over the road that runs through the Domain.
“Like a lot of really old urban trees, it’s lived a life and had to deal with all sorts of changes over time,” says Royal Botanic Garden Sydney senior horticulturist and volunteer manager Paul Nicholson.
There are signs it has suffered some dieback, and a fire has been lit in one of its hollows.
“It’s certainly a symbol of resilience.”
Sydney’s Moreton Bay figs have long provided shade on a hot day and a retreat from the busy city.
But Mr Nicholson says it’s not uncommon for people to form a special attachment to particular trees.
“There’s a tree that they’ll always visit in the garden. In some cases, they might know the person who planted it,” he said.
“Trees are things that outlive us, and they provide stability and amenity in the landscape.”
Once Ms Naidoo noticed what is now known as “her tree”, visiting it became part of her daily routine.
“Bit by bit, things started to show themselves, reveal themselves to me that had always been there, but I had just been too busy or too silly to actually take it in,” she said.
“I didn’t want to leave it.
“That was the other thing I found is that nothing compared to the joy and the wonder and the awe of what I was experiencing when I was near the tree and in the gardens.”
Watch the Compass episode ‘Indira’s Tree’ on Sunday, August 14 at 6:30pm or on ABC iview.
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