By Luke Voogt
Former mayor Darryn Lyons has urged the State Government to make Geelong’s floating Christmas tree the world’s biggest after City Hall touted its recent success.
“We have to keep building it bigger and better each year,” he said.
“It has to become a major event for Victoria, simply because of the amount of money that flows in from across the state and the country.”
The tree was fast becoming a Geelong tradition according to a recent online survey by City Hall.
About 30 per cent of this year’s crowd of 15,000 attended the previous year’s ceremony, up from 17 per cent in 2015 and 24 per cent in 2016.
“I was told there were over 15,000 mobile devices measured,” Mr Lyons said.
Elderly and younger attendees without phones would likely have made the number even greater, he explained.
The City surveyed 250 people from the crowd online, with 93 per cent saying they would return in 2018.
The average crowd member spent more than $40 on the night with 83 per cent buying food and 26 per cent shopping whilst in Central Geelong.
But the former Geelong administrators only guaranteed the tree’s future until next Christmas, when they voted to continue the $400,000 annual spend.
An economic analysis by consultancy firm IER found the tree brought $2.16 million to Geelong each year.
My Lyons said the State Government needed to take over the tree to make it even better, especially “considering the amount of money they’re wasting on White Night.”
He added the majority of money from White Night celebrations would go to companies in Sydney.
“I do think it will become an election issue.”
Mr Lyons hoped the 25-metre structure would eventually eclipse Brazil’s 53-metre high Christmas tree in Rio De Janeiro.
“The tree needs to go up a couple of storeys and then a storey every year,” he said.
Mr Lyons congratulated City Hall adviser Kelly Ivens on this year’s addition of lighting the Christmas tree’s star for the first time.
“I think it I was an incredible success,” he said.
“It’s a bit like Kylie Minogue. You’ve got reinvent it every year.”
Geelong Mayor Bruce Harwood said keeping the tree as a “much loved Christmas tradition” was a priority for council.
“It’s great to see such strong community support for the lighting of Geelong’s floating Christmas tree,” he said.
“The tree brings people together to share the spirit of Christmas; it increases trade for local businesses and it’s fast becoming an icon of our region.”
Mr Harwood said the council would consider applying for State Government funding for the tree.
South Barwon MP Andrew Katos declined to commit to funding the tree if the coalition won at the 2018 Victorian election.
But Mr Katos, who the Liberal Party designated as their future ‘Geelong Minister’, said he would consider State funding.
“If there was a proposal put on the table by the City of Greater Geelong I’d be happy to consider it.
“The tree has been very successful and people voted with their feet.”
