History Trust of SA CEO blasts Adelaide City Council for trying to give it Big Santa – which needs an expensive repair job

Last month the History Trust boss volunteered to look after The Giant Scotsman. But when the City Council tried to hand over Big Santa, his reaction was very different.

Adelaide City Council's decision to give the iconic Big Santa to the History Trust of South Australia is a disingenuous cost-shifting move, the Trust’s boss says.

It comes as the future of the much-loved giant Santa remains uncertain, after a heated council meeting on Tuesday night.

Councillor and History Trust of SA chief executive officer Greg Mackie urged council to take responsibility for the preservation and display of the large Father Christmas in his proposed motion.

Cr Alex Hyde amended the motion, instead giving the 1960s structure to the History Trust, which members voted in favour of.

He said if Cr Mackie made suggestions to how council would pay for the display and storage of Big Santa – which has a $34,000 repair bill and annual $90,000 cost to store and erect – he would be more supportive of the motion.

Big Santa on the Adelaide Central Market. Picture: supplied

“Had Greg come to the table with a suggestion around how we’re actually supposed to pay for Big Santa then I may have been more open to it,” Cr Hyde said.

The structure is 15m tall, weighing three tonnes.

He said the State Government organisation are better equipped in maintaining the restoration and heritage of Big Santa.

“St Nick ain’t in good nick … it’s approaching 60 years old and it needs a lot of TLC. We’re not experts in taking care of heritage items, but the History Trust are.”

But Cr Mackie said the gift was a cost-shifting move.

“To say that this was a disingenuous move on the part of Councillor Hyde and the Lord Mayor would be an understatement,” Cr Mackie said.

“They’re trying to cost shift it over from the City Council to the State Government and that is a disingenuous move and a sneaky shift to bury Santa.

“It is not the job of the History Trust of South Australia to be erecting and removing an object from a council owned building, that is the business of council.”

Speaking to ABC Radio on Thursday, Cr Mackie said Santa’s future was in “real peril” and if a solution couldn’t be found “quite honestly, Santa will be homeless”.

Responding to those claims, Cr Hyde said the council had managed to turn its finances around from a $5m deficit to a modest surplus of $30,000 and taking on resonsibility for Santa “would have absolutely wiped that out”.

Last month, Mr Mackie said The Giant Scotsman, who has adorned Scotty’s Motel at Medindie since 1962 but is now at risk of being lost if the site is rezoned, could be saved by being donated to the State History Collection.

He proposed displaying Scotty at the Central Market – near the benevolent presence of Santa.

Giant Santa on the Adelaide Central Market.

The History Trust may not be able to accept the gift of Santa, Cr Mackie said.

“We have very rigorous processes, and it would therefore remain to be seen that it’s even viable for the History Trust of South Australia to accept this and rescue the council from its own ignorance. This is highly unlikely to be accepted.”

The council does not have the means to fund Big Santa, Cr Hyde said, suggesting an appeal to the public for donations to rescue it should the History Trust reject the gift.

“If the History Trust don’t want Big Santa, and we can’t afford it right now, then I suggest we look into a public appeal, seeking sponsors and possibly even crowd funding,” Cr Hyde said.

Originally published as History Trust of SA CEO blasts Adelaide City Council for trying to give it Big Santa – which needs an expensive repair job