WITH a long blonde wig and a sword tucked under his belt, Mount Gambier resident Robin Weston plans to bring a touch of humour to tomorrow’s NF McDonnell and Sons Mount Gambier Christmas Parade.
Known around the city for his sometimes politically inspired costumes, such as last year’s Captain America outfit which he said took “the mickey” out of Donald Trump, Mr Weston is always a stand-out in the parade festivities for adults and children alike.
Riding along on his penny farthing, Mr Weston will tomorrow “take a dig” at the creator of the Tesla battery Elon Musk and the current energy crisis by dressing up as an “electric musketeer”.
“I love the parade and like to see a bit of humour in it,” he said.
“It’s fun to bring a bit of a different meaning to it, rather than the traditional nativity scenes.”
Not afraid to “stir the pot”, Mr Weston dressed up as Cardinal Pell a few years ago.
“I didn’t enter as a float, I just went down and was mucking around on the bike on the footpaths – it was hilarious,” he said.
“It is fairly confronting when you do something like that though, people were pretty narky.”
Following in the footsteps of his father who used to take part in parades with his camels, Mr Weston said he was always spontaneous with his costume decisions.
“I have had people all year asking what I’m going to dress up as and trying to give me ideas, but this is my one chance to really let my hair down,” he said.
“It was right at the deadline this year when I decided – I am very spontaneous.”
With a love for bikes, the local father said he thoroughly enjoyed riding along on the penny farthing and acting like a clown.
“I like to float, so instead of having a designated spot I ride around and pretend to steal hats from band members and play other little tricks,” he said.
“It’s also kind of like I am working, sometimes there are big gaps in between floats so myself and the others riding with me will fill that space.”
Encouraging people to come along and support the event, Mr Weston said it was a lot of fun for both the people watching and those taking part.
“I think the whole idea of going is to support the community,” he said.
“People don’t realise it could very quickly disappear if that support isn’t there.”
