Previous Find of the Month December 2021


December 2021

It's Starting to sound a lot like Christmas

Canberra's Festive Season from the Past

ArchivesACT, 69/1257F-01

Canberra’s City Renewal Authority launched its Christmas in the City program last week, promoted as being the ‘biggest Christmas program ever’. An art installation, decorations that include an iconic Gang Gang cockatoo in City Walk and a performance by the Canberra Symphony Orchestra are all included in the program. Of course, there is also a Christmas tree with a new translucent design and an interactive installation to help create a festive atmosphere i. Organised celebrations of the festive season have been a long tradition in Canberra. This reminded us of records highlighted in some of our previous Finds of the Month on Canberra City’s Christmas trees and Christmas cards so we thought we would re-visit them for our December article.

December 2009 – Canberra Christmas Tree

Each year the Department of Territory and Municipal Services was heavily involved with the public Christmas celebrations. Prior to self-government it fell upon City Parks Administration to arrange festive lighting and an annual Christmas tree. This tree was usually sponsored by a business or charitable group.

During the 1960s the Quota Club of Canberra would sponsor a “Giving Tree” in Australia’s first shopping mall, the Monaro Mall. The file 66/115F – Forestry – Christmas Trees – Sale of – 1966-1968 documents the Club’s annual requests to the Department of the Interior’s Forests Section (later Parks, Conservation and Lands) for a tree.

ArchivesACT, 66/115F

The file 83/1339 – City Parks Administration – Christmas Tree – Garema Place – Civic begins in 1974 with the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC) constructing a steel lined hole on Alinga Street (Garema Place) for the erection of a large Christmas tree each year. Since then, there were regular calls from local shop owners for the planting of a permanent pine tree in Civic. They hoped to reduce the recurring costs of erecting a cut tree each year and minimise Occupational Health & Safety concerns when erecting the tree and spray painting the tree in a pedestrian mall. Temporary trees required two coats of paint to aid in maintaining colour and preventing them from drying out.

ArchivesACT, 83/1339

Up until 1980 the Government covered all costs associated with erecting the tree in Garema Place. From 1980 onwards local businesses and community groups have sponsored the tree. The Canberra Times sponsored the 1980 Christmas tree and were joined by the Salvation Army and Canberra Scout Association in 1981. The Scouts crewed the tree and accepted gifts and donations on behalf of the Salvation Army. There appears to have been no trees in 1982 and 1983, as the NCDC was not approached to erect one in those years. 2CA sponsored the 1984 tree, with its location moved from Alinga Street to the median strip on Northbourne Avenue to give it a more prominent location. Concerns were raised over the damage to the median strip this tree placement would create. However, the use of a smaller tree sourced from near the Albert Hall alleviated this problem and reduced the estimated cost of $3000 down to $952.

ArchivesACT, 83/1339

December 2010 - Sale of Christmas Trees

One constant feature of Christmas over the years is the sale of Christmas Trees by the Scout Association of Australia. The file 69/1257F-01 – Forests Branch – Christmas Trees – Sale of contains documents relating to the supply of Christmas Trees by the Department of the Interior’s Forests Section dating back to 1945. Churches, schools and kindergartens were supplied trees free of charge while the Boy Scouts Association oversaw the sale of the trees to the public. In 1947 a tree cost 2/6 and it was even possible to hire a potted tree at a rate of 5/- per week. With decimal currency arriving in 1966, the cost of trees became 60c, while a fine for illegally removing trees from the forests was $10. The Boy Scouts sold 6454 trees this year. It was also the year that the Girl Guides Association applied to sell Christmas trees. The application was rejected as it was thought that ‘the handling of bulky Christmas trees would be a more appropriate task for boys than girls’ii.

ArchivesACT, 82/1275

Department of Territories Christmas Cards – December 2011

The files 81/3592 – Information & Public Relations Section – Invitation Cards and 88/1487 – Public Information Section – Invitation Cards contain a selection of Christmas cards distributed in the 1980s by the Secretary for the Department of Territories, John Enfield (1983-1987). The draft card shown below, depicting Civic and its merry-go-round, was intended for Christmas 1982 but was postponed until 1983iii.

ArchivesACT, 81/3592

In 1984 John Enfield selected a card produced and sold by the National Library of Australia featuring a painting of the Ainslie Post Office in 1912. The cards caption reads:

Ainslie Post Office 1912

From the oil painting 60.7 x 91 cm by Joseph Wolinski in the National Library of Australia. This building which included the post office, a shop and a boarding house, stood near the present junction of Ainslie and Limestone Avenues. It served as Canberra’s Post Office from 1863 to 1913.

NL 17002

ArchivesACT, 81/3592

Merry Christmas with Safety – December 2012

For those of us getting ready to set up this year’s Christmas tree and decorations (and those who may already have done so), here are some safety tips included in a pamphlet produced in 1983 by the ACT Consumer Affairs Bureau. It was prepared with the assistance of the ACT Electricity Authority to ‘inform consumers about the safety of their Christmas purchases, particularly Christmas trees, artificial snow, lights, candles and trimmings'iv.

ArchivesACT

You can find out more about this year’s Christmas in the City program on the City Renewal Authority’s website.

ArchivesACT wishes you all

a happy and safe festive season.

Contact us through our Request a Record service and we will be happy to help.

References

i Canberra Weekly, 29 November 2021; https://canberraweekly.com.au/its-beginning-to-feel-a-lot-like-christmas-in-the-city/

ii ArchivesACT, 66/115F; Christmas Trees – Sale of – 1966 to 1968

iii ArchivesACT, 81/3592; Information & Public Relations Section - Invitation Cards'

iv ArchivesACT; Merry Christmas with Safety.

Files used

ArchivesACT, 66/115F – Forestry – Christmas Trees – Sale of – 1966-1968

ArchivesACT, 83/1339 – City Parks Administration – Christmas Tree – Garema Place – Civic

ArchivesACT, 69/1257F-01 – Forests Branch – Christmas Trees – Sale of

ArchivesACT, 81/3592 – Information & Public Relations Section – Invitation Cards

ArchivesACT, 88/1487 – Public Information Section – Invitation Cards

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