Cooroy Lights Up Environmentally for Christmas

The town centre of Cooroy is currently in the process of being decked out with Christmas decorations thanks to the Cooroy Chamber of Commerce and sponsors Ricon Contractors Pty Ltd and Ritek Building Solutions.  Not only will the town be looking festive but the majority of the lighting is also solar powered or low energy to reduce the environmental impact.

Ri-con Contractors, the local award-winning construction Company, has sponsored the decoration of the Christmas tree for the last two years.  Decorating the tree involves attaching over 5000 lights to a yolk at the top of the tree and hanging parcels at different points on the wire stays.  The decorated tree, the focus of the Cooroy Christmas celebrations, is the envy of other towns on the Sunshine Coast.

In a show of true community spirit, a team of volunteers put up the other Christmas decorations and lights in the main streets of Cooroy which are funded by the Cooroy Chamber of Commerce. And this year, the Maple Street roundabout decorations were sponsored by Ritek Building Solutions.  Shops and businesses throughout town also put up their own decorations for a chance to win the Queensland Media Print Decorate Your Shop Competition.

The Christmas decorations are a part of Christmas in Cooroy which is a free community event run by the Cooroy Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Cooroy and includes a host of free activities on Saturday 5th December.  

These festivities are officially kicked off by the turning on of the Christmas tree lights at 7pm on Tuesday 1st December 2009.  This year Beau Witt, a seven year old Kin Kin State School student, will switch on the Cooroy Christmas Tree lights.  The lighting of the Cooroy Christmas tree, in the roundabout at the top of Emerald Street, is a highly anticipated event and this year is the first time that a local hinterland resident has been selected to kick off the Cooroy celebrations.

Beau Witt has lived in Kin Kin all his life and for the last two and a half years has lived with Leukaemia.  Even though this has involved regular trips to Brisbane for treatment he retains his spirit and determination.  This was demonstrated earlier this year when he joined thousands of other Australians and shaved his head to raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation's World's Greatest Shave event.     

Ri-con Managing Director, John Jenkins, said that the decoration of the Christmas tree was "an opportunity for a local business to put something back into the community for the enjoyment of all.  Our reward is the smile the tree brings to the faces of the local kids".

"The decorations around town provide a very festive atmosphere and the town really comes alive with a truly festive spirit.   Cooroy has its own Christmas magic as even the most grinchy person feels a bit of Christmas cheer when they visit Cooroy in December," said Christmas in Cooroy event manager, Danielle Taylor.

For all the latest information about Christmas in Cooroy, visit www.cooroy.com.au

Official turning on of Cooroy's Christmas Lights
7pm, Tuesday 1 December 2009 - Cnr Maple & Emerald Sts Cooroy

Other Christmas in Cooroy News:
"MelcoLanhams Cooroy Mitre 10 Christmas Lights Competition" pdf entry form