Brisbane City Xmas Tree

The Christmas tree lighting will occur on Nov 30th at 7:00pm , at 266 George Street (Redacliff Place), presented by Channel Nine and Brisbane City Council and sponsored by NRMA Insurance.
Join Brisbane's Lord Mayor Campbell Newman, Santa and a host of special guests for the event. This free family event will include traditional Christmas carol sing-alongs.
What follows has been extracted from an article published by the Courier Mail and written by Brian Williams.
"This year the Christmas tree will sit in Redacliff Place, beween the Queen Street Mall and Victoria Bridge. The current tree has been used since 2001. It is 20m tall and 10m wide. A 2.9m star and more than 2km of lights light the tree." For all of you environmentally minded the sponsor is offsetting the carbon print through contributions.
"The city's tradition of erecting a Christmas tree dates back to 1891, making it one of the oldest civic celebrations in the country. Christmas trees were popularised in England and introduced to Commonwealth nations by Queen Victoria's German husband, Prince Albert.
An 1891 Brisbane City Council mayor's report records a "Christmas tree entertainment" at the town hall. The event included gifts for less fortunate children. The next mention of Christmas tree was in 1954 when a proposal was made to put up a tree in King George Square. The idea was to bring Brisbane in line with displays abroad, such as in London's Trafalgar Square. Hoop pines were used and it was hoped this would encourage people to have Christmas trees in their own yards.
The following year the council erected one large tree and six smaller ones, and also decorated City Hall columns and the King George Square vestibule. This practice continued until 1967 when due to work on the new King George Square, the tree was put up inside City Hall foyer. From 1968 the tree was raised in King George Square, a practice which continued until 2005."