A report in The Canberra Times on this day in 1978 revealed that a case before a court involved a man who raked up leaves from his nature strip and was charged under Section 3(1)a of the Timber Protection Ordinance of 1919-1967 which provided: "Any person who, without the permission in writing of the Minister, cuts or destroys or steals or damages with intent to steal or removes the whole or any part of any tree, sapling, shrub, plant or timber on any unleased land belong to the Commonwealth shall be guilty of an offence".
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The maximum penalty was $20. Mr Dainer, SM, found the case proved but did not proceed to a conviction, saying that the matter was trivial.
Government workers had cut down two trees in Flanagan Street, Garran, close to where Mr Boddy resides.
Mr Boddy told the court he raked up leaves and rubbish left on his nature strip from trees that were cut down.
Legal authorities told The Canberra Times that people were required by law to maintain their nature strips.
People need not fear that they could be committing an offence by mowing their lawns as the word "plant" in the ordinance referred only to trees and shrubs.
