Operation Decorate Darkan in motion for Christmas

Coalfields Highway, known as “Hayfields Highway” in December, is beginning to look a lot like Christmas, with residents decorating hay bales as part of the “Operation Decorate Darkan” community project.

What started as a community project by Darkan resident Geraldine King three years ago has morphed into a community competition.

Mrs King said the idea was inspired by her travels across the Nullarbor.

“We saw all these life size Christmas decorations in a small town along the Nullarbor and I thought, ‘I want to do something like this in Darkan’,” Mrs King said.

“The meeting was in September and they said ‘can you have something done for this Christmas’, so I said ‘yes’.

People around town now are starting to put up more and more decorations and the whole community have come on board and there is just a great buzz around the town about it.

A decoration and painting workshop is held with locals, including children, at the Darkan Men’s Shed each year and then the life size decorations are placed around town.

West Arthur shire president Kevin King said the community was getting behind the decorating more each year.

The Darkan Tidy Towns Committee is sponsoring some prizes this year for most popular displays as voted by a secret ballot at the Darkan Christmas Tree event tomorrow.