They marched to the beat of a single drum

BY CHRIS MCKAY

While the joy of the festive season was definitely in the air at Sydney’s Christmas Parade through the CBD, thousands of parents and their children lining the route at the end of the parade were feeling left out and left wanting.

The parade route was advertised to wind its way from Hunter Street, along George and into Liverpool to end up in Tumbalong Park. But what thousands of hapless people lining the barricades weren’t told was that the parade officially ended just before turning into Liverpool Street where the giant air balloons became ‘dead animals’ on their backs, the music abruptly stopped and the bands marched to the beat of a single drum.

However the Hunter School of the Performing Arts Marching Show Band in their bright jade and purple jackets couldn’t resist the calls from the crowd on the home stretch. The drum major raised his baton and the band jumped into action, demonstrating their stunning modernistic approach to marching band music.

The crowd’s spirits were again lifted by the antics of three-year-old Rochelle Wang, still smiling and dancing and waving her pompoms as part of the NSW Baton Twirlers group.

But another dancing group bopping along to loudspeakers from the back of a truck as they turned into Liverpool Street was chased by a female parade official and told to turn off the music.

Parade director, Anthony Meade, said most of the giant balloons were too large to avoid the overhead lighting and trees in Liverpool Street and as part of the traffic management plans they were advised by police that the parade should officially end at George Street.

There was some bemusement from the crowd: Reg of Glebe questioned the Christmas relevance of about a dozen belly dancers in the line-up and said he felt that ‘seeing more was possibly too much’ particularly with the number of children in the crowd.

One couple from New Zealand viewing from the bridge near the park said they felt they had missed the event and were not impressed.

But despite the disappointment, the crowd still dug deep to throw money into volunteer’s buckets for the Day of Difference charity as an ever-smiling Sophie Delezio waved from an open sports car ‘ possibly rivalling the popularity of Santa himself.