CAMERON Hardwick is proving to be the king of Christmas lights in the south-west.
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For the second year running, Mr Hardwick’s home at 6 Marlee Court in Warrnambool was voted favourite in The Standard Christmas Lights Competition.
“I’ve had a lot of good stuff said to me about the lights,” he said.
“They like the blow-ups. Kids want to see the blow-ups and get their photos taken with them. The smiles on their faces are just unreal.”
Mr Hardwick suspects the inflatable penguins, Santas and reindeer might be behind the popularity of his Christmas lights display.
“Other places focus on the lights, but I focus on the blow-ups and work the lights around them,” he said.
While last year’s display took two weeks to put up, this year some new attractions and work commitments meant Mr Hardwick spent a month on and off working on his display.
As for the power bill, Mr Hardwick said the secret was solar panels.
“We’ve got solar panels on the roof so that gets the bill down,” he said.
“This time of year the bill would be nothing. Running the lights for the month means I only pay about $30 for the three months, thanks to the solar panels.”
Mr Hardwick’s display earned him a $500 prize. The runner-up was 28 Queens Road, Warrnambool, which won $250. Third prize of $150 went to 480 Raglan Parade.
Two lucky readers won $100 just for voting in our online Christmas lights poll — congratulations to Anna Kazmierska and Steve Emphraims.