Giving Voice to the Fallen

Above: The finished transformation had sculpted surfaces with relief carvings and a nested iron wheel, symbolic of Tom Price’s iron ore industry.

Words: Neil Turner
Photos: Suellen Turner

Tucked beneath the iron-rich ranges of the Pilbara, Tom Price is Western Australia’s highest town, surrounded by a landscape of dramatic mesas and escarpments. Doug Talbot Park sits in the centre of town, a green, communal space for families and kids, framed by the intense red soils that define the region. When a powerful storm brought down a significant ficus tree within the park, the Shire of Ashburton saw not loss, but an opportunity to create something lasting.

Neil Turner first assesses the condition of the storm-damaged tree.

They invited me to carve the remaining stump. The tree had been a feature of the park for decades. Rather than remove it, the Shire of Ashburton wanted to create a sculptural reminder of its presence. Initially, they floated the idea of carving Australian animals, but the final direction leaned toward something more abstract.

I needed to see the stump in person before confirming a concept; photographs only tell part of the story. That said, I sent them a broad concept based on first impressions, and they gave it the green light.

Work commenced at ground level with chainsaws and power carvers.

I loaded my vehicle with every carving tool I thought I might need, as well as every other one I thought I wouldn’t, and then set off on the 1,600k drive north.

Once in Tom Price, I assessed the stump up close. It stood 3.5 metres tall and 2 metres wide with a large vertical section that had been badly fractured during the fall. This section was not structurally sound and would have to be rethought. I began by removing the bark and damaged surface timber to return to clean, consistent wood. As I worked, the concept started to evolve more clearly in response to both the tree and its surroundings.

A crane was needed to reach the higher parts of the stump.

The form began to take on the spirit of the land around it. Mount Nameless, known to local Eastern Guruma people as Jarndunmunha, looms above the town with its sheer faces and buttress-like formations.

The idea of a mesa rising from the plains became integral. I wanted the work to speak quietly but clearly and to let the tree itself do most of the talking. Carving in a restrained way, removing only what was necessary, allowed me to respond to the power that was once held in its living form.

Power carving shapes and relief imagery into the surface.

The fractured top section was removed entirely. It was too unstable to retain, and carving into it revealed the extent of its damage. From there, the new form emerged: a cluster of pointed peaks or shoots. They represent regrowth and a rebirth with small relief carvings of leaves and shoots underscoring this idea.

The carving was done with a Stihl chainsaw, a small battery-powered Stihl carving saw fitted with a carving blade, an Arbortech mini carver, and a 100mm Saburr Tooth circular disk.

While researching the project, one local feature kept coming up – the Tom Price sunsets. They are vivid and iconic. I decided to create a steel wheel to represent the sun, also paying homage to the region’s iron ore industry. The wheel is nested into the top of the sculpture, rising like the sun or setting into the landscape.

To finish, the piece was sealed with two coats of an oil designed for exterior use. The glow now catches the light at different times of the day.

The points or peaks represent new growth as the stump is reborn into a town monument.

This wasn’t just about saving a tree. It was about listening to it. Letting it say something about what it had been through, where it stood, and how it could still have a place in the park, not just as a memory but as something transformed.

First published in Australian Wood Review, issuue 129, December 2025

Neil Turner @neilturnerartisan lives in Western Australia. He makes to commission and teaches at workshops and collaborative events all over the world. Learn more at neilturnerartisan.com.au