Lismore City Council has unveiled its iconic sustainable city Christmas tree, marking the start of a month-long series of activations for community and business and as a clear sign Lismore is open for business.
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This is the eighth year of Lismore's upcycled Christmas tree being proudly displayed on the corner of Keen and Magellan streets following a one-year hiatus after the 2022 natural disaster.
Lismore City Council General Manager Jon Gibbons said the return of the iconic sustainable tree marked a significant recovery milestone.
"Our community of local families and businesses have been investing heavily in backing Lismore and we are committed to backing them this Christmas," he said.
"The return of this tree is a symbolic representation of our resilience and the spirit of this community. It showcases that we are re-open for business while offering how to reimagine and renew with some hard work.
"I want to thank the council officers involved in creating this year's tree which we hope both inspires, educates and brings joy and activity to our city and community.
"Upcycling involves the creative reuse of materials to give them a second life, which differs from recycling.This year's tree features a mosaic of upcycled materials, blending the tree together in Christmas cheer. It also has shimmered interlocked hearts from silver foil-lined insulation matting, geotextile fabric transformed with festive red and green paint, orange barrier mesh from the Council's roads team, rainbow carpet base, and CDs and DVDs repurposed into garlands, and all recovered from the Lismore Revolve Shop.
The council's Waste Education Officer Victoria Currie said the tree also includes donations from the community.
"It features leftover white render trim from a waste team member's landscaping project and a radiant gold star, crafted from scrap metal by council's welder and adorned with gold powder coating, donated by a local business," she said.
"While the majority of the tree is built from recovered materials, certain new elements like paints, screws and fairy lights have been incorporated to complete the design."
Mrs Currie also said the project was supported by an incredibly collaborative approach of staff from different areas of Ccouncil.
"The tree is more than a festive decoration, it is our own contribution to backing Lismore, a gift to local business and community, crafted by teams in their own time," she said.
Surrounding the tree this year are banners that promote the Back Lismore campaign which is in response to the community's call for a shift in narrative from 'flood city' to 'open'.
This initiative is a call to action and a storytelling platform aimed at reigniting excitement and pride in our region.
For more information on how you can Back Lismore, visit www.backlismore.com.au. You can also find Back Lismore on Facebook, don't forget to like and follow the page.
For more information on the month-long series of Christmas festivities in Lismore, go to www.visitlismore.com.au.
