(Deflated) Santa is coming to town

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas on Rundle Mall, with an array of festive-themed popups and decorations now lining the CBD’s premier shopping strip (Happy Black Friday™️, everyone).

But the start of the festive season already appears to be taking its toll on the big guy in red, who’s been photographed several times this week in a sorry state outside Rundle Place.

Photo: justadelaidethings/Instagram

So acute has been the concern over Santa’s health that the matter reached Town Hall this week.

Fronting an Adelaide City Council committee on Tuesday, officials from the Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA), which manages Rundle Mall, were greeted with a question from Deputy Lord Mayor Phil Martin about what sort of nick St Nick is in.

“A retailer claimed to me today that Santa in Rundle Mall – specifically Rundle Place – is dead,” Martin said.

“I gather he was referring to the deflation that occurred and the final remnants which apparently disturbed a child who witnessed.

“Has Santa been re-inflated?”

It just screams Christmas, doesn’t it? Rundle Mall patrons walk past a worse-for-wear Santa this week. Photo: supplied

Greg Ratsch, who has been AEDA’s “acting” managing director since January (how long can one act for?), responded: “At AEDA, we believe the Christmas spirit is still alive and well.

“He is – we are working on that right at the moment.”

Santa was absent from the Mall on Thursday. But after a welfare check this morning, InSider is pleased to report he’s been revived and is again lying on the Rundle Mall pavement reading a naughty and nice list.

And, in the true Christmas spirit, he’s now accompanied by a “security notice” reminding eager kids that the area is monitored by CCTV. Another sign helpfully advises: “For your safety please do not sit or jump on Santa.”

The big man is back – just don’t jump on him. Photo: InDaily

InSider suggests AEDA would face fewer questions about Santa’s PSI levels if it managed to lure back his enlarged predecessor – “Big Santa” – whose 15-metre glass fibre torso once loomed over David Jones.

It’s worth recalling that Big Santa nearly ended up in an even sorrier state than deflated Santa (i.e. landfill) when the previous city council in 2021 tried to fob him off to the state government’s History Trust, which wouldn’t take him.

The big man now stands atop Adelaide Central Market, thanks to a $2 bid from Andrew “Cosi” Costello.

Cars good, political conscience bad

In arguably the most on-brand piece of double standards by the Malinauskas Government, the powers that be this week admonished kids for skipping classes to attend a protest rally, but praised others for spending a school day at the V8 race.

Early in the week, Education Minister Blair Boyer said he couldn’t condone students leaving school to attend a pro-Palestinian rally in the city on Thursday.

He wasn’t necessarily opposed to their cause – his point was that, as Education Minister, he always expected students to be “at school during school hours”.

InSider was then surprised to receive a media release from the minister yesterday, praising 3000 kids who most definitely wouldn’t be at school during school hours.

These primary and secondary students were going to the track for the “VAILO Adelaide 500 Schools Day” where the Minister said they would be introduced to “STEM and engineering careers in a practical way”.

“Students will be able to explore motorsport first-hand and hopefully it will ignite the imagination of some of our young people about the types of careers they might want to pursue,” the minister said.

It will also be a nice day for him.

“I’m just as excited to explore the track and take part in the activations.”

Following her creative passion

But one student moved beyond the STEM memo. Ten-year-old primary student Grace Lewis has a million-dollar entry for her CV and portfolio after winning the competition to design the livery for Pizza Hut’s Camaro Supercar.

InSider loves Grace’s design and the fact she chose her own path into creative industries.

Naming rights

Speaking of creative STEM. The Australian Space Agency is looking to name the lunar rover it has designed for the upcoming moon mission. After more than 8200 entries from across the country, there are four names to pick from.

InSider is partial to Roo-ver, but to vote local a tick for the name thought up by Hamilton Secondary College is the patriotic choice. They want the rover to be called Kakirra, from the Kaurna name for Moon.

A voice for the South East

Fred Smith at the SE Voice broke a story that’s destroying social media this week – OK, 18K views, but that’s decent.

Smith found FIVEaa radio announcer Leith Forrest’s ode to his Millicent hometown on Facebook and ensured everyone had a watch of the two videos to catch a few admissions of a “criminal” past. InSider is indebted.

Stuff you should know…

This coming Sunday is World Sustainable Transport Day, a day thought up by the United Nations and supported here by BikeSA.

BikeSA is urging people to “Take photos of your ride and post them on social media using the hashtags #worldsustainabletransportday and #bikesa”.

Maybe a cycle down to the Adelaide 500 on Sunday is in order.