Sad when Christmas decorations have to be guarded

IT IS a sad indictment on today’s society when a joyous occasion, like the erection of Christmas decorations, is overshadowed by the installation of heightened security to protect them.

But that is exactly what is happening in Ballarat with the installation of the city’s extensive Christmas decorations, including an artificial tree in Sturt Street, near the Bridge Mall.

The tree has been erected as part of the rollout of the City of Ballarat’s Christmas decorations, which also includes decorations and lights to a real tree in the 300 block of Sturt Street, the installation of the Town Hall garland and reindeer and sleigh displays.

But a vandalism attack on the artificial tree last year and the burning of the tree in 2009, has meant the city’s Christmas decorations will now be under constant surveillance.

City of Ballarat director of destinations and connections, Jeff Pulford, said as the decorations were assets of both the council and the community, it was important to ensure they were adequately protected.

Mr Pulford said the council would use a combination of on-foot security, car patrols and closed-circuit television surveillance of the display areas in an effort to protect them from future attacks.

Last year two youths were caught on camera attacking the giant Christmas tree near the mall. The five-metre tree was stripped of its decorations, with up to 30 large silver baubles removed, the fencing wire around the tree was cut and the lower branches stripped.

In 2009, the giant tree was dismantled after being set on fire. But it is not only Christmas decorations that have been hit by vandals in Ballarat in recent years. Some of the city’s most historic statues have also been targeted.

In the most recent attack, the Statue of Ruth in Sturt Street was knocked off its plinth and left in pieces on the ground. Only months earlier, three of the Stoddart statues in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens were defaced with texta. In 2002, statues in the Stoddart collection were moved to the Robert Clark Conservatory due to vandalism, while in 2004 the statue of Greek goddess Hebe was toppled from its pedestal in Sturt Street.

Earlier this year, $100,000 worth of community safety measures were announced for Ballarat. The funding will see the number of CCTV cameras around the city almost double from 12 to 20 by September next year. However, these will be centred around the city’s nightclub precinct.