Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s Christmas tree ‘damaged beyond repair’ following high wind gusts during electrical storm

Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s centrepiece Christmas decoration has been damaged beyond repair after an electrical storm passed through the city on Thursday afternoon. About 4.30pm, wind gusts of up to 93km/h were recorded in the city, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The strong winds proved too much for the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s new 15m-high Christmas tree in Centennial Park, which was toppled by the storm. In response to questions from the Kalgoorlie Miner on Friday, City chief executive Andrew Brien said the initial assessment indicated the tree was “damaged beyond repair”. “We are looking into options for the tree moving forward,” he said. “The Centennial Park Christmas tree was installed by a registered builder according to the specifications of the installation manual. “It is unfortunate that it did not withstand the extreme weather conditions of Thursday evening.” The City made no mention as to whether a replacement tree would be sourced. Last month, the City announced it had erected the region’s largest Christmas tree, touted as the third-biggest in WA. The illuminated display at Centennial Park was the centrepiece of the City’s Christmas Lights Trail, which runs until Christmas Eve. The City said the Christmas tree, adorned with thousands of LED lights, created “a captivating and festive entry to the City”. Kalgoorlie’s Christmas tree is usually in St Barbara’s Square, but was instead erected in Centennial Park “after careful consideration of a number of factors”, the City said. These factors included the Kal City Centre project, which was in its final stages of construction, and ensuring the “trial of the new tree was undertaken in an area large enough to safely set up the display”. At the time, the City said it would seek community feedback on the future location of the Christmas tree. On Friday morning, a lighting tower in Usher Park was being repaired after it also suffered damage during the storm.