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Fig. 1 90/7170 Cultural & Recreational Services Branch, Special Events & Festivals Unit, Christmas Activities 1990.

Season’s Greetings from ArchivesACT.

If you thought your Christmas decorations were expensive and difficult to put up, spare a thought for those people who put so much effort into dressing up our city for the festive season. At ArchivesACT we’ve picked a file at random – about Christmas activities in 1990 – which gives us some insights into Christmas tree installation that may not have occurred to us otherwise.

Next time you bemoan the appearance of hot cross buns on Boxing Day, remember that the Cultural and Recreational Services Branch of the ACT Government was already planning for Christmas 1990 in March. It started with quotes for a dizzying array of possible display options, from 18 inch metallic pom poms at $24.50 a pop, to a 15 foot collapsible Santa for $4,000.

It was a good thing planning started early, though. The original position identified for the Christmas tree in Petrie Plaza had to be moved by 3 feet towards Bunda street to avoid underground cables. Eventually, a 40 foot Christmas tree was ordered from Sydney, and work began in earnest to ensure it would take pride of place by Christmas. This involved checks from AGL and Telecom to ensure there were no gas mains or telephone lines in the location, and construction of a wooden box for the base of the tree, which would hide the concrete blocks needed to secure the guy wires.

The decorations weren’t the only part of the festivities. The theme for Canberra’s 1990s Christmas was to be a Fiesta Capitale, an international celebration with multicultural Christmas carols in Glebe Park, a specially commissioned Christmas mural on City Hill, and community clubs and restaurants offering traditional dishes on an International Night Out.

Those who came to the official launch of the celebrations were treated to performances by the Flying Wombats bush band and the Te Tarakakao Maori choir, and sampled some Christmas cake from local bakers Brothers Oven. As he declared the Fiesta Capitale officially open, Minister for Urban Services Craig Duby observed “there will be much to surprise and delight both the young and the young at heart in Canberra over the holiday season”.

Of course, Minister Duby finished his speech by wishing guests “a very happy and healthy Christmas and a very prosperous New Year.” And, at ArchivesACT, we wish the same for you this holiday season.

ACT Government files used

90/7170 Cultural & Recreational Services Branch, Special Events & Festivals Unit, Christmas Activities 1990.

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