There is a great deal of difference qualitatively between striking cuttings from varietal hybrids in a commercial context and the cloning of individual specimens that have by their unique genetic make up been able to out live all their peers, despite the best efforts of us to create an environment completely inimical to their survival.
It is very important and worthwhile to propogate such specimens, and frankly more of it should be done.
Its kind of sad that you don't grasp the relevance of preserving physical markers of your own cultural history, but if you don't then you don't I guess....Thankfully there are enough people who do recognise the importance of what went before, of seeing ourselves as part of a historical process (good and bad) not with a simple objective or destination...(no teleology here!) but the journey does have lessons for us, I think some we should pay attention too..but thats just me.
Finding beauty and recognising worth in veteran trees is a means to help the general community to move toward recognising the worth of all flora, and fauna.....its very Qld to think what does it matter we can just plant another it'll grow quick enough.
