Thanks to the generosity of Geelong Grammar, which collected acorns from the tree in 2004, and the expertise of Yarralumla Nursery, three young trees of this species, Quercus calliprinos, are now growing in the grounds of Government House.

The Gallipoli oak (or Palestine oak) grows on the ridges and down into the valleys of the Gallipoli peninsula, alongside the Lone Pine, either the Turkish pine (Prunus brutia) or the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis).

In Horticultural Flora of South-Eastern Australia (1997), Dr Roger Spencer, of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, lists the Geelong specimen as growing beside the school chapel.

It was then the sole survivor of three trees planted together in 1916. Another large tree remains at the Captain's property Murndal, near Hamilton in Victoria.

Learning about the existence of the Gallipoli oak, and a decision that it should be planted in the grounds of Government House, led to correspondence between then head gardener Pat Garratt and Ron Brandy, then property manager at Geelong Grammar.

The school was pleased to provide a number of acorns on July 1, 2004, and expressed the hope that the seeds would mature into sturdy examples of their species.

In fact Q. calliprinos proved difficult to germinate and then to grow yet the species grew in its natural state in forests with P. brutia or P. halepensis and was said to regenerate quickly after fires via dense basal sprouts, producing a dense, sheltering brush for herbaceous plants that grow beneath them.

A letter from General (Sir) John Monash written to his wife in November 1915 is quoted by the National Trust of Australia as reading, "I am sending, in a separate packet, a few acorns. I have made the discovery that the prickly shrub, with which these hills are covered, and which has inflicted an unkind scratch on hands, arms and bare knees .... bears an acorn, showing that it belongs to the Oak variety."

By January 2007, Yarralumla Nursery had raised 15 seedlings of Quercus calliprinos in landscape tubes, ready for planting or potting on.

In September 2008 the nursery had lost eight plants from the original planting, finding them "very slow growing and quite touchy" and the successful stock was being potted on into 200mm air prune containers to be ready for planting out in autumn.

More seed was sent to the nursery from Geelong Grammar in 2009. By Anzac Day 2010, Norm Dunn, assistant manager property & services at Government House, bought a number of the young trees from Yarralumla Nursery.

Five Gallipoli oaks half a metre tall were planted in an area considered the best location for this species, referred to in the Anzac Requiem as "the holly scrub". In May that year, Frank Grossbechler, a former manager of Yarralumla Nursery, located two mature trees in Canberra which are the Kermes oak, Quercus coccifera.

These fine specimens are at Turner Primary School and near the ANU physics, science and engineering building. Fifty acorns were collected for raising at Yarralumla Nursery.

Historic records at Yarralumla Nursery show that acorns from Q. coccifera were received on "15.4.46 from Hartley through CSIRO location Portugal P&G office probably from Iraq seed". There are no records for Q. calliprinos. Dr Roger Spencer wrote in 1997 that the Gallipoli oak, from the Eastern Mediterranean, was "Placed by some authorities in Q. coccifera var. calliprinos. Recent work has given it species status as being larger inhabit, often with a trunk, the leaves larger and more oblong than Q. coccifera, Kermes Oak".

The International Oak Society Oak Register does not recognise Quercus calliprinos as a separate species. In June 2013 horticulturist John Fordham, of the National Tree Register, National Trust of Australia (Victoria), contacted Yarralumla Nursery as project officer for the Gallipoli Oak Project.

They were seeking to propagate more than 2000 Quercus calliprinos seedlings for the centenary of the Gallipoli landing and had heard about acorns being sent to Canberra. Geelong Grammar had just harvested 400 acorns for the project and these were going to two advanced tree nurseries who would be growing them for free.

Chair of the Gallipoli Oak Project Peter Whitelaw was in charge of the distribution. In January last year 450 plants had germinated and in February this year there were about 600 trees growing.

The Gallipoli Oak Project aims to bring life to the symbolic link between the centenary of Anzac, the people of Turkey and the primary school students of Victoria. By March 2013, 550 primary schools had registered for the project.

On November 13 last year, Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove planted Kermes oak (Q. coccifera) in the grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, and on April 17 this year the first planting of the young oak trees was at Hamilton Primary School.

On the upper entry level at the National Gallery of Australia is a recently installed bronze cast of Geelong Grammar School War Memorial modelled in the Sydney studio of George W. Lambert 1923-25.

It was commissioned to commemorate the 88 old boys from the school who were killed during World War I. Canberra is fortunate to have living Gallipoli oak trees for remembrance.