Mastermind to Castle Hill’s Saint overjoyed by new decoration
One of the masterminds behind the original Saint painted on the side of Castle Hill is happy to see his legacy live on after someone mysteriously decorated the city’s most famous graffiti with a Santa hat.
Townsville
Don't miss out on the headlines from Townsville. Followed categories will be added to My News.
ONE of the masterminds behind the original Saint painted on the side of Townsville’s monolith, Castle Hill, is happy to see his legacy live on after someone mysteriously decorated the city’s most famous graffiti with a Santa hat.
“It brings a bit of joyfulness around, I’m quite happy with it,” Peter Higgins said.
“I think the general public of Townsville still enjoy the icon. “It brings back little memories from 57 years.”
As far as Mr Higgins was concerned, it was the first time the Saint had been decorated for Christmas since the original was painted in 1962.
“The one previously, when the Cowboys made the grand final, the week before it had a Cowboy hat,” he said.
RELATED
Castle Hill Saint gets festive with mysterious new decoration
The men behind The Saint on Castle Hill go on the record
Mr Higgins was joined by Lyall Ford, Graeme Bowen, Rod Froyland, David Greve, Bob Sothman and Barrie Snarski and painted the artwork in the dead of night on March 17, 1962 – the day before St Patrick’s Day. Mr Higgins has stringently denied any alcohol was involved in the painting of the original Saint.
“In fact I get sour when someone mentions that,” he previously told the Townsville Bulletin.
He said some of his friends went on to become some “of the best engineers” in the world after they crafted an elaborate rope seat to inch down the sheer side of Castle Hill.
The mystery behind the addition of the Christmas decorations to the Saint this year follows on from the original work, with little known about who did it.
The halo that normally tops the Saint has been replaced with a light-up Santa hat.
“I don’t know who’s doing it, but they obviously enjoy doing it,” Mr Higgins said.
“It’s not one of us because we’re all 76.
“We’ve got some ideas, but we don’t have any proof of anything.”
And with that the person responsible for the decoration remains a mystery.
Originally published as Mastermind to Castle Hill’s Saint overjoyed by new decoration