General News
8 October, 2025
Festive sneer
A GROUP which has been organising and producing Carols by Candlelight in the Douglas Shire for the past nine years has been sidelined by the council.
Douglas Theatre Arts Group (DTAG) president Michael Kerr said the organisation was originally invited by the council in 2016 to produce the carols in Mossman involving musical groups and sponsors.
“Even during the challenges of COVID, DTAG ensured the carols continued, professionally filmed and made freely available for all to enjoy,” he said.
“When council funding was available, DTAG was able to deliver a full-scale ‘Christmas Extravaganza’, complete with fireworks, market stalls, amusement rides and performances by stars from The Voice and X Factor.
“These events drew hundreds of families and created unforgettable memories.
“Sadly, when (the) council redirected funding to the Mossman Street Christmas party in 2021, DTAG was forced to scale back and relocate the carols to Port Douglas, relying solely on alternate sponsorship to continue the tradition.
“Last year, council staff approached DTAG to return the carols to Mossman with full funding.
“After multiple meetings and a delivered Memorandum of Understanding, DTAG was informed just days later that (the) council had chosen a different direction and instead delivered the carols under the raintrees.
“Now, (the) council has announced a new Christmas Extravaganza at the Mossman Showgrounds, with Santa arriving by helicopter, a light show and sponsorship sought from local businesses, many of whom have previously supported DTAG’s carols.
“DTAG was not consulted to produce the event but invited to participate in a limited capacity by the current organiser.”
Mr Kerr said it was “incredibly disappointing”.
“We’ve poured heart, time and resources into this event for nearly a decade. Carols by Candlelight isn’t just a performance, it’s costly, licensed music (you can’t just use downloads), copyright sheet music designed for choirs, weeks of rehearsals and all that before the staging, lighting, insurance and community coordination.
“We’ve run the event at a financial loss year after year because we believe in the magic of Christmas and the power of community arts.
“We simply cannot compete with a publicly funded event by council that now seeks the same sponsors we’ve relied on to produce this show. It’s not sustainable and quite frankly it’s deeply disrespectful of the legacy we’ve built.”
The former Douglas Shire mayor said “it’s hard not to feel this is yet another quiet dismissal by these councillors”.
“The lack of transparency, consultation and the decision to sideline a proven, experienced community partner speaks volumes.”
Mayor Lisa Scomazzon said the council had partnered with Mossman Support Services to present the Christmas Extravaganza that will incorporate the incredibly successful and popular Light up the Park activities.
“Jenny Guyatt, who was this year’s Douglas Shire citizen of the year, and has over 40 years’ experience teaching music and entertaining the Douglas Shire, was asked to develop a program of musical entertainment that engages schools, music students and the broader community,” she said.
“Planning is still underway and (the) council would be delighted if DTAG were to participate in the Christmas Extravaganza, as they were invited to.
“In previous years (the) council has co-funded, both the Mossman Christmas street party and the Christmas carols, that DTAG are referring to (with sponsorship support).
“While staff did enter negotiations with DTAG last year, ultimately (the) council had a desire to deliver the ‘Carols Under the Raintrees’ and partnered with the Combined Churches group.
“There was no agreement with DTAG this year.
“The (council) has a budget allocation of $13,000 for this event.”
In the meantime, businesses are being called upon to help bring festive cheer to the community by sponsoring the Christmas Extravaganza so it remains free to help cover costs for rides and entertainment.
Sponsorship levels include gold ($1000), silver ($500) and bronze ($250).
Sponsors will receive special mentions and promotional opportunities as part of the event.
To sponsor the event, contact Brody Andrews at 0412 735 585 or email youth@dscsa.org.au
Food trucks and stallholders interested in participating are invited to email their details and stall type to events@douglas.qld.gov.au
Read More: Douglas Shire
