Giant Of The Forest

Winner of the inaugural Australian National Choral Association (ANCA) Composition Competition - Primary School and Children's Choir category (2018)

In the south-west of Tasmania a massive Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) stands 100 metres tall. It is the world’s second tallest tree and the tallest flowering plant.

For five hundred years it has survived fires and evaded the saws of humans – unlike other trees that were even taller. It was given the name Centurion, because it was the one-hundredth of the giant trees to be registered. The name however, perfectly embodies not just its height but also the character of this majestic survivor.

The song traces Centurion’s journey from a tiny seed, just 2 millimetres, striving to reach up into the light from the forest floor and to send its roots deep into the soil below. After five centuries it continues to grow. When finally its life ends, through the wonder of regeneration its seeds will take root and continue the legacy of the mighty Centurion – giant of the forest.

In February 2019, just after this song was written, Centurion suffered damage from the bushfires that swept through Tasmania, as reported here by ABC News. Tasmania's 100-metre tall tree survives bushfire but not without damage

2 parts - for ages 7 and up
SATB and SSA versions available here