Cost of repairing giant Father Christmas revealed to be $90,000, after derelict model spent past two years in storage

The future of Adelaide’s iconic giant Santa is again under a cloud, after the City Council revealed how much it would cost to display him next festive season.

The future of Adelaide’s giant Father Christmas is again under a cloud, after it was revealed it would cost about $90,000 to display the model next festive season.

The figure was handed over to the Central Market in 2015, but needs extensive repairs and has been kept in storage the past two Christmases.

Councillor Greg Mackie made a “special plea” at an Adelaide City Council meeting held on Tuesday night.

“I would hate to see Big Santa lost,” he said. “He is an icon of South Australia’s and Adelaide’s Christmas heritage.”

The model was first displayed on the front of John Martins in the 1960s, which later became David Jones, where it was displayed until 2014.

The following year it was given to the Adelaide City Council, before being handed on to the Adelaide Central Market Authority.

It spent four seasons on the brick Grote Street facade, waving to passers-by, but was missing at Christmas 2019 and 2020.

The giant Father Christmas spent four years waving to passers-by on Grote Street, but was not displayed at Christmas 2019 and 2020. Picture: Supplied

The model had previously been displayed on the front of David Jones at Rundle Mall.

Responding to Councillor Mackie, council property director Tom McCready said Santa’s fibreglass framework was “significantly eroded”.

He had been advised by the Adelaide Central Market Authority it would cost $40,000 to restore the model, and “somewhere in the region of about $90,000” in order to display it on the side of the building.

“It certainly requires a significant amount of work,” he said.

“I believe that ACMA, first and foremost, they are probably reluctant to (spend the money) because they don’t know what their goal is in regards to Big Santa, and they inherited it.”

Mr McCready said the cost of storing the model, which breaks down into three separate pieces, was about $10,000.

“We’re not disposing of it, we just have it stored externally at a cost for ACMA,” he said.

“It comes with a cost to have Santa on the side of a building.”

Councillor Mackie said Big Santa was “worth more than retiring off to the corner of a warehouse”.

“He looked very, very handsome up there,” he said. “I think it’s central to our identity and it’s certainly an iconic festive season landmark.”

The council was discussing the Adelaide Christmas Festival Action Plan 2021, which aims to ensure the city is “brimming with magical places” that people feel they must visit day and night.

Originally published as Cost of repairing giant Father Christmas revealed to be $90,000, after derelict model spent past two years in storage