St Leonards Christmas in full-swing

A WONDERFUL Christmas tradition has returned to St Leonards with dozens of decorative Christmas trees lining the front fence of Harvey Park.

More than 100 St Leonards Primary School students made the trip down Murradoc Road on Friday to decorate wooden Christmas trees.

St Leonards Men’s Shed members recycled trees from last year’s inaugural event for students to decorate.

Principal of St Leonards Jenny Cowburn said the event was not just about raising Christmas spirit, but also about bringing the town together.

“We are so fortunate at our school that we have a community that supports us as well,” Ms Cowburn said.

“So, this is a wonderful project where the St Leonards progress association, the Men’s Shed and the school all work together.

“As we walked down the road to Harvey Park, a lot of the local shopkeepers supported us and there were lots of early holidaymakers that got involved as well, so there was a lot of the St Leonards Christmas spirit encapsulated in what was only a few minutes.”

Once all 27 trees were installed, the students were treated to a lunch on the foreshore, before undertaking some group dancing to lighten the mood in front of families in attendance.

President of the St Leonards Men’s Shed, Shane McManus, said his community organisation always looked forward to installing the Christmas trees with local students, accepting the help of plenty of community members who contributed to the setup of the event.

“We have a long association with the primary school. Eight kids came down to the Men’s Shed last term and we had been doing their woodwork with them, we’re always happy to help the school,” Mr McManus said.

“Christmas is a rather big deal in St Leonards, the community vibe is good at this time of the year.

“We get a lot of holidaymakers arriving to their holiday houses here, as well as a number of campers, but the local community really seems to enjoy the Christmas spirit.”

The decorated trees coincide with the St Leonard’s Yarn Bombings that were installed throughout the central village a couple weeks ago as a part of the town’s Christmas festivities.

Headlining 2022 Christmas festivities will be the return of the popular St Leonards Christmas Carols that have been cancelled the previous two years and Mr McManus said next year’s festivities will include a reindeer and sleigh produced by the Men’s Shed.