The Richmond Pak n Save Santa parade certainly turned heads when it made its way through the crowds on Queen St. Events and marketing coordinator for Richmond Unlimited, Charlotte Bidlake, was thrilled at the turnout saying she was really pleased with the day. A packed crowd lined the streets and children looked on in anticpation of seeing the the man himself, Santa Claus.
However, an entry entitled ‘Rednek Xmas’ seems to have caused a bit of fuss with some members of the public. The Dodge Ram pickup truck with its repurposed-tyre snowmen, empty beer cans, hunting theme and confederate flag set some tongues wagging. Mayor of Tasman District Council, Richard Kempthorne, spoke out to media saying the float was ‘inappropriate’ for a family event. Glen James, owner of Glen James Jewellers and the owner of the float, says the tongue-in-cheek entry was never meant to offend anyone.
“There was never any intention of the float being racist at all or to stir anything up. I am certainly not a racist person. There was no hidden message.” Glen says the idea stemmed from a love of cars and a farming history. “Iown a Dodge Ram and a Polaris, which are both American-made vehicles. In the past I have spent quite a bit of money on our entries and, this year, I wanted to keep costs down a little. The farming look is fairly cheap to replicate so that is where that came from.”
The two-time Richmond parade float-winner says the reaction he got from the crowd seemed like a very positive one.
“They seemed to love it, I was getting the thumbs up from people and laughing.
“The feedback was that it was really interactive. I had one woman approach me after the parade wanting the flag taken down. I appreciate her coming to chat and it was fine.” Charlotte would like to move on and says it is a shame that some people seem to focus on the negative.
But she assures the public the team will be doing their utmost to vette all future floats.
“Richmond Unlimited are sorry there was something unknowingly offensive in the parade.
“We genuinely believe there there was no ill intention involved and hope the other positives from the day can be remembered.” Scouts Nelson won first place in the Richmond Pak n Save Santa parade, with Higgins taking second, and the Celtic Pipe Band securing third place.