Memories, particularly at this time of the year are stirred and retrieved by their owners, of family gatherings and happy events, and without doubt every year someone, somewhere will ask the question?  

Remember the Christmas Tree?

For neigh on 50 years you only needed to mention The Christmas Tree and everyone knew you were referring to -  Mount Isa Mine’s Christmas Tree – or the more popular term: ‘The Mine’s Christmas Tree’.

December was such an exciting time for local children because they not only waited for the end of school for another year but for those littlies staying in Mount Isa over the festive season, there was double the excitement as they waited and waited and waited (with such sighs) to see Santa Claus at the Christmas Tree.

He found his way to Mount Isa in its first year, 1924, when he quietly asked the couple of mums and dads to hand out hard boiled lollies to the children (courtesy of Annie Glendenning); promising to come in person one year soon. That year was 1931 when the squeals of excited recognition and laughter rang out as children, gathered at the Mineside Band Rotunda, caught sight of Santa Claus for the first time.

Immaculately dressed in his red and white suit, and sporting a luscious white beard while wearing a long red beanie, he casually strolled across from the Mine’s Clubhouse, waving to everyone. There was so much gleeful noise that the Silver Band had to stop playing while Santa made his way to the band rotunda and a tumultuous welcome from the hordes of children.

George Chapman, employment officer, played the part of Santa with perfection; always with a smile and a kind word for everyone. While he never promised a specific gift, he always explained that there were so many presents that every child would receive a ‘special’ one. The next year, he hitched a ride to the band rotunda. Nev Marten remembers of all the kids going hammer and tongs trying to squeal louder than Santa’s Mine fire engine with its distinct siren. And so, began Santa Claus’s novel mode of arrival at the Christmas Tree each year.

A tradition that lives on in the memories of thousands of adults who, as children, lived in Mount Isa from 1931 to the early 80s and who always asked, “How’s Santa coming this year?” Only three times in 50 years did he get lost on his way and that was during the war years in the early forties when the event was cancelled. When it did resume in 1945, ‘Stewie’ Tuck, as Santa, was caught in a rain cloudburst as if the heavens opened to welcome the return of the Mine’s Christmas Tree.

“Standing drenched in the band rotunda, I was in a bit of a spot,” he said.  “The glue on the whiskers was getting soft and I didn’t want to disillusion the kids.  “But fortunately the disguise held out.”

Over the years Santa Claus was represented by a number of men including Peter Huhta, a Finnish miner, who was very popular with the youngsters. They believed ‘he could talk all the languages of the world’ especially Finnish and English with a little Russian thrown in.

Another special Santa, and the youngest to don the red and white suit, was Brendon Holden. Standing over six feet (1.83 mts) and of a healthy build, Brendon won over the children as he could comfortably sit two of the little tots on each thigh, provided they sat quietly, as he patiently listened to their Christmas requests. Everyone who has ever attended The Mine’s Christmas Tree (not to be confused with the present day Mine’s Christmas Parties) has an anecdote to tell.

Like the one from a local septuagenarian gentleman who remembered the thick juicy cool chunks of watermelon which were handed out albeit with a stern warning to eat it and not fight with it. Another year, the Townsville Daily Bulletin reported that, a ‘despicable sneaky thief’ used the occasion to walk into a nearby home and steal a whole ham and a freshly plucked backyard chicken, not to mention the house dad’s newly sewn shirt. By 1953 there were 1500 children swarming around the band rotunda to receive their presents and by the late 70s that number had swelled to 7000 children.

As the recipients increased in number, the event was moved to the larger and more accessible Kruttschnitt Oval. Ask anyone to describe the actual Christmas Tree and they would be hard pressed to recall its height or beauty or indeed that on occasion there several apprentice-height evergreen Athel Christmas trees. But ask what they most vividly remembered and before the question is finished: lollies, presents, ice cream, lollies, soft drinks, lollies, coloured lights and presents quickly roll off their tongues.

Mrs Jan Rappensberg’s four children all received presents which she described as “Very good quality and always suitable for the appropriate ages”. And Mrs Pearl Connelly recalls her six children wearing smiles, as wide as the river, for days before the big night.   “I always had trouble getting them to go to sleep after the Christmas Tree.  They were too excited with full little tummies!” The night was a true family occasion with entertainment to suit all ages.

From puppet shows to the big band sounds of the Mount Isa Brass Band or Silver’s Brass Band which accompanied the community carol singing the evening had something for every member of the family. But the highlight of the night, after the visit by Santa Claus, was without doubt the explosion of fireworks such as the set pieces being the ever-popular opposing warships which did battle, and the elephants which sprayed fiery water from their trunks.

Finally, the show stopper Roman candles, sky rockets and the noisy mortars would light up the night sky to herald the end of another successful Mount Isa Mine’s Christmas Tree. And just like the six Connelly kids, about 160,000 children, over 50 years, went to sleep on those special nights, as happy little Vegemites.  Researched and written by Kim-Maree Burton.   Photographs courtesy of MIMAG. Information sourced from the archives of the Cloncurry Advocate, Mt Isa News, Mount Isa Mail, Townsville Daily Bulletin, Courier Mail, MIM publications and the North West Star.