And after today’s effort, the locals will soon see if this story is proved correct.

Bellingen’s ‘Christ Light Tree’ will once again shine with swathes of lights, as well as having a cross at the apex, after the Lions Club funded and organised a large crane to help members install lights in the more than 40m high tree.

The Norfolk Island Pine, fronting Oak St, was planted in September 1897 and the heritage-listed tree features on the NSW Environment and Heritage website.  

Reverend Zoe Everingham said that in the early 1960s, lights were placed throughout the tree and it was named ‘The Christ Light Tree’.   “Newspaper records show that the Bellingen Chamber of Commerce organised the rewiring and repair of the lights in 1967, 1975, 1977 and prior to the tree’s centenary celebrations in 1997,” Zoe said.

“As reported in the Bellingen Shire Courier Sun 17/9/1997 by the mayor:  “When the tree was planted Queen Victoria was on the throne and Australia had yet to embrace Federation. The tree has presided over the construction of the Hammond and Wheatley Building, seen the first motor car drive down Hyde St and watched as the streetlights were turned on around it … its growth has been paralleled in the growth of the Valley and I imagine, just for a moment, that it looks down from its highest point and considers all that it sees. It would reflect upon the important role which trees have played and it would see a valley denuded of trees in some areas and reforested in others...I have a suspicion that it hums along to the music at the Jazz Festival and the Global Carnival as it undoubtedly does with St Margaret’s congregation.”

The lights fell into disrepair and have not been functioning for about 30 years. Thus in 2015, the Bellingen Lions Club responded to a request from the Bellinger Anglican Parish Council with a proposal to replace the lights with environmentally friendly and locally-sourced LED strips from Planet Lighting.

“In 2017 the Lions Club will celebrate 100 years of serving communities throughout the world and replacing the lights on the Christ Light Tree is the Bellingen Lions Club centenary project to beautify the town,” Lions Club’s Graeham Maddeford said.

“So today (Monday, October 24) volunteers and contractors converged on St Margaret’s Church to install the lights on the 41.3 metre high Norfolk Pine.”

And what a spectacle!

Zoe said the tree will be lit at Christmas, Easter and for other important community celebrations.

“The tree stands as an illustration of Jesus’ words found in the gospel of John Chapter 8, verse 12:  “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life,” she said.

“The Anglican Parish of the Bellinger would like to thank the Bellingen Lions Club, volunteer tree climbers Gerry Quinn and Nick Jenkins, Planet Lighting and North Coast Cranes for all their efforts, enthusiasm and professional diligence.”