Christmas is back on in Timaru after a community-led effort replaced the town’s central Christmas tree, which was destroyed in a suspicious fire last week.
Emergency services were called to the Caroline Bay Piazza early Friday morning after the original tree suffered "significant fire damage". Police arrested a 30-year-old man shortly after the blaze, and charges were being considered.
Local business leader Gordon Handy said he was relaxing on Friday night when he heard the news and decided something had to be done.
After speaking to the mayor, he said: "I thought, 'well I could get this to happen', so I reached out to some other businesses, and it didn’t take us long to get a pretty good plan in place."
A felled radiata pine from the Timaru District Council forestry block now stands proudly on Bay Hill, thanks to a community-led effort.
Hilton Haulage provided transport, Fabtech re-engineered the base, and Hardie Building donated concrete blocks painted in festive colours to secure the tree.
Timaru Mayor Nigel Bowen praised the effort as "the definition of the community coming together".
"I saw on social media how much the community cared for and enjoyed the Christmas tree we lost last week," he said.
"It will be good to have that space filled again, just in time for Christmas."
As the tree was "for the community, by the community", Bowen said it was only fitting that locals help decorate it.
Residents could drop off ornaments at any Timaru District Library from Wednesday afternoon until Thursday. Decorations must be sturdy, tennis-ball sized, and free of glass or ceramics. Festive ribbons or cloth were also welcome.
Several businesses and organisations have donated funds for decorations, including Tyson Ford Carpentry, South Canterbury Roofing, Manage My Cashflow, South Canterbury Neighbourhood Support, IHC South Canterbury, Pampered to Perfection, Shiphop Brewery, Clark Decoration, and Rangitata MP James Meager.
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