Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Darwin’s Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis says there will be about 50 floats taking part in the city's first Christmas Pageant this weekend

Transcript

Darwin’s Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis says there will be about 50 floats taking part in the city's first Christmas Pageant this weekend · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Well, are real change of pace right now because we
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  Speaker 1: know that this Christmas pageant, the first Christmas pageant is
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  Speaker 1: happening this weekend. And joining us on the line to
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  Speaker 1: tell us a bit more, the Lord Mayor of Darwin
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  Speaker 1: convat Scarlets.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Corn, good morning Katie. And this is the
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  Speaker 2: first Christmas pageant for Darwin, and a pageant that actually
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  Speaker 2: haven't taken place for many many years. I know we
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  Speaker 2: had before the book and Vidia festival with floats and everything,
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  Speaker 2: but this is a brand new one and with fifty
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  Speaker 2: floats in the pageant and lighting the Christmas tree on.
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  Speaker 1: Saturday Saturday, so very exciting. Now Conn talk us through
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  Speaker 1: exactly what the Christmas Pageant's going to include and what
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  Speaker 1: we can expect.
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  Speaker 2: We work really closely with the Activate darwhen we want
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  Speaker 2: to actually bring some life in our city. It's November,
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  Speaker 2: it's hot, it's humid, the tourists have gone, so let's
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  Speaker 2: have some holiday spirit. Let's enjoy Christmas is coming in
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  Speaker 2: a few days, so let's bright the city lights, the lights,
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  Speaker 2: listen to the music. Brass band you mentioned it's going
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  Speaker 2: to be there. A lot of organizations put a hand up,
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  Speaker 2: so we've got fifty floats in the pageant. A start
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  Speaker 2: would come down in Nike Street in front of the
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  Speaker 2: Raintree Park. We have people there. It will be festivities
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  Speaker 2: and of course lighting the tree. Now some people says
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  Speaker 2: it's a bit early, but I tell you what, I've
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  Speaker 2: been to some other capital seats around Australia now and
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  Speaker 2: the trees is already lit. So I don't know why
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  Speaker 2: people think it's early. But let's again say bring the
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  Speaker 2: spirit of Christmas in our town.
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  Speaker 1: So about fifty floats, who's signed up to do it?
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  Speaker 1: Con it?
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  Speaker 2: What kind of community groups everybody? I don't have the
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  Speaker 2: complete list in front of me, but I know from
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  Speaker 2: community groups to businesses and everything else participating. So there's
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  Speaker 2: a lot of industs out there. And what really really
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  Speaker 2: surprised me is before I've seen some photos of the
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  Speaker 2: Bocavilla Festival and I thought, well, look at that. Everybody's
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  Speaker 2: coming together, different communities, organizers. In Darwin. I've seen some
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  Speaker 2: fantastic flows by the Choungua Society, by the Greek community.
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  Speaker 2: Why we can't have it now? And all of a sudden,
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  Speaker 2: here it is fifty flows from our community and it's happening.
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  Speaker 2: The community is getting together again and celebrating Christmas.
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  Speaker 1: Connor, I think the big question is the Big Man
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  Speaker 1: going to be there. Santa, of course will be there.
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  Speaker 2: You can't have Christmas without Sandra. Come on, this is
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  Speaker 2: not Holidays, it's Christmas. I said before. I don't believe
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  Speaker 2: in happy holidays or season greetings. I believe in merry Christmas.
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  Speaker 1: Well come, we've been talking a lot this morning about
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  Speaker 1: the changes to the Anti Discrimination Act, and maybe someone
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  Speaker 1: will be offended by you saying that you know that
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  Speaker 1: it's Christmas, it's not the holidays.
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  Speaker 2: Well hold on, hold on. If you live in the community,
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  Speaker 2: you have to give and take. Now, I'll give you
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  Speaker 2: an example. I'm a Christian, a gry Orthodox, but I
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  Speaker 2: have no problem going to the mosque celebrating some of
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  Speaker 2: the Islamic celebrations, and I don't have a problem going
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  Speaker 2: to the buddhistem and celebrating some of these celebrations. I'm
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  Speaker 2: not offended by that. Actually, I find it very enriching
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  Speaker 2: in our community. If anybody offended, it might be in
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  Speaker 2: the wrong place. And because downs a multicultural society with
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  Speaker 2: a lot of people from other places. And of course, addition,
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  Speaker 2: honest here in DOWI so we all share in this space.
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  Speaker 2: We all have our own beliefs, our own customs, and
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  Speaker 2: we see them around. I mean, it's a extra places
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  Speaker 2: where the parliament opens by the lion dancing. In June,
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  Speaker 2: we've got the Greek clenty, followed by the Indian media.
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  Speaker 2: There has so many different celebrations of different communities. If
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  Speaker 2: you're offended, well perhaps downs of the place for you.
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  Speaker 1: Well, that's right. There is such a multicultural place, such
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  Speaker 1: a wonderful place. Con what else is going on at
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  Speaker 1: the moment? From a council perspective? Before I let you die,
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  Speaker 1: would you.
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  Speaker 2: Like some trees? We just gave away two thousand trees
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  Speaker 2: last weekend, and I have to tell you I turn
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  Speaker 2: up eight thirty in the three giving a parade, I
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  Speaker 2: should say, and there were four hundred people waiting to
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  Speaker 2: receive a plan. And another one is coming Jue guriowl
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  Speaker 2: on the tenth of December. We have given already more
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  Speaker 2: than ten persand trees, Katie, and that really helps us
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  Speaker 2: city become a grenner and cooler place. And before you
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  Speaker 2: ask me, I have to tell you that the Rapid
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  Speaker 2: Creek Bridge works underway, and I expect that the rabbit
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  Speaker 2: creek walks will be finished by the twenty fifty sixth
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  Speaker 2: of November to give him back to the traffic, and
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  Speaker 2: I mean the proper traffic with bicycles because we had
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  Speaker 2: a look at some of the cameras there, we found
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  Speaker 2: out that some people decide to drive cars on top
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  Speaker 2: of that bridge, so please it's for pedestrians and bicycles.
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  Speaker 2: The bridge is going to be repaired so it can
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  Speaker 2: be passable again, but then it will be replaced with
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  Speaker 2: the brand new bridge because that he has sustained significant damage.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Colin, thank you very much for the update on
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  Speaker 1: the bridge and also letting us know exactly what's going
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  Speaker 1: on for the wonderful Christmas event on the weekend. We're
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  Speaker 1: all looking forward to us.
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  Speaker 2: I'm looking forward to see you all there because it's
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  Speaker 2: a unique of tunity for our community to come once
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  Speaker 2: again together and celebrate Christmas.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time this morning. Lord
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  Speaker 1: Mayor Combat Scholars see you. Thank you,