After 25 years, Mitcham Council dumps hugely popular Carols by the Creek event

Hundreds of readers have slammed Mitcham Council’s decision to dump its popular Christmas carols event — despite slugging residents with the biggest rate rise in the city.

It will be a silent night by Brownhill Creek this Christmas, after Mitcham Council dumped its highly popular carols night.

The council decision ends 25 years of the Carols By The Creek event, which regularly attracted more than 5000 people.

The seven councillors who voted to abolish the carols cited its cost (about $45,000) and said the event was not inclusive for non-Christians.

Hundreds of readers on Advertiser.com.au and our Facebook page have slammed the decision. At 6pm on Thursday the poll further down this story had 90 per cent of respondents calling on the council to reinstate the event.

During a narrow 7:5 vote to discontinue the event, Cr Darren Kruse said he was happy to be known as the “Christmas Grinch”.

“Council should not be funding what fundamentally is a religious event with no co-contribution from the churches,” Cr Kruse said during an hour-long debate on the issue.

“It’s not inclusive because it talks to one major religion … the Christian religion … although it is dominant, that is not our demographic.

“If the churches want to run it, they should run it.”

Cartoonist Jos Valdman's take on Mitcham Council cancelling their Christmas Carols.

Cr Karen Hockley said the carols night ignored those who “might never go to a traditional Christmas event”.

She said continuing to run the event supported the “old regime” and that the council needed to be “cleverer than that” and support diversity through other events.

But she recognised the decision could cause controversy and be regarded as a “step too far” for the community, particularly in light of the council’s 3.67 per cent rate rise in 2019/20.

“We’ve given them (ratepayers) the biggest rate rise in the state and then removed the most-visible use of their rates,” she said.

“(This is) a sleight of hand that is not going to be tolerated by the community.”

Council staff will prepare a report detailing the options for other groups to hold a “slimmed-down” carols event.

Mitcham Council’s Carols by the Creek 2015 celebration. Pictured with Jolly the elf are (clockwise from left) Louisa, Scarlett, Zac, Charlotte and Maddy. Picture Dylan Coker

Also backing the move, Cr Yvonne Todd said cancelling the carols created an opportunity for other community groups.

“It’s good because it saves money and it allows other people to apply for funding for their own events,” Cr Todd said.

But Cr Dave Munro said residents might want to ask questions around the council’s own staff Christmas party.

“Perhaps we need to look in our own backyard at the staff Christmas function and consider whether we should be holding that,” said Cr Munro, who earlier this year lost his push to have free alcohol banned at council meetings.

Members of Mitcham churches dressed as Nativity characters preparing for the 2003 Carols By The Creek night.

Cr Adriana Christopoulos was “disappointed” with the decision.

“This is what our community expects and we’ve held these events for many years … it’s too late to be cancelling the event for 2019,” Cr Christopoulos said.

“They deserve this and they expect this.”

International opera tenor and Adelaide Christmas Pageant creative director Brian Gilbertson has been a regular host and performer at Carols By The Creek over the past 20 years.

“I have no knowledge around their decision making but the cancellation of any Christmas carols event is disappointing,” Gilbertson told The Messenger.

Carols By The Creek entertainers ahead of the 2018 event.

Carols By The Creek has had regular appearances by the Australian Girls Choir, Adelaide Boys Choir and the Scotch Pipes and Drums.

Much-loved children’s TV character Humphrey B. Bear has been another big-name drawcard.

The 2018 event was held at Kingswood Oval last year – up the road from its usual venue at the Soldiers’ Memorial Gardens – due to multimillion-dollar upgrades at Mitcham Memorial Library and Brownhill Creek.

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