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Australian Christmas tree sets world record for boasting over 500,000 lights

The record was set by Canberra lawyer David Richards.

Australia Christmas Tree Lights Lukas Coch / AP Lukas Coch / AP / AP

AN AUSTRALIAN HAS set his third Christmas-themed world record in as many years by illuminating a tree in downtown Canberra with 518,838 twinkling lights.

Guinness World Records confirmed that David Richards had broken the record for the most lights on an artificial Christmas tree that had been held for five years by Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. That 36-metre (118-foot) Japanese tree had set a new benchmark of 374,280 lights this month.

Richards, a Canberra lawyer and businessman, brought together a team of volunteers including an electrical engineer, structural engineer, welders, carpenters, masons and steel fixers to erect the dazzling display on a 22-metre (72-foot) steel tree.

Richards creates such Christmas extravaganzas to raise money for Canberra’s Sudden Infant Death Syndrome charity, SIDS and Kids, by drawing large crowds and inviting them to donate.

“Some people say I’ve got quite a knack for getting people to do things for nothing,” Richards said.

I get people to do things for nothing because they know that I do things for nothing and I’m contributing my own money, resources, time and effort as well — so maybe they feel sorry for me.

He set his first Guinness World Record in 2013 for the most lights on a residential property by covering his suburban home with 502,165 bulbs.

Traffic snarls in his neighbourhood created by 75,000 sightseers who visited the display over four weeks made it difficult for his family to get to and from their home and irritated some neighbours. So Richards promised never to try to better that record.

He set his second record a year ago by stringing up 1,194,380 LED lights in a public space. The 120 kilometres (75 miles) of multicoloured wire woven in the shape of three interconnected giant, wrapped Christmas gifts in a Canberra mall was the largest ever image made of LED lights.

But records tumble fast in the competitive world of light displays. Richards’ 2014 record was smashed in June at a hotel in Myoko, Japan, by an image of a dragon comprising 1,529,103 lights.

His 2013 record for lights at home was beaten within days by a family in LaGrangeville, New York, that decorated their home with 601,736 Christmas lights, reclaiming their 2012 record.

Read: A Dublin fire crew went on their Christmas party and saved a man who collapsed at the bar

Read: The Burning Question*: When is it okay to start playing Christmas music?

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15 Comments
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    Mute ProudIrishRepublican
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    Feb 26th 2015, 6:15 AM

    No wonder he moved to Ireland, if it ever happened him again, sure he’d be grand!!

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    Mute C Mc Gyver
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    Feb 26th 2015, 6:10 AM

    Must have been an inspirational figure for David Drumm and Sean Fitzpatrick.

    151
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    Mute Fintan Doyle
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    Feb 26th 2015, 7:04 AM

    He only lost 1 billion, they lost 35 and counting

    178
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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Feb 26th 2015, 7:23 AM

    Subsequent actions have shown that neither David Drumm or Seanie Fitz are half the man Nick Leeson is.

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    Mute John S
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    Feb 26th 2015, 7:34 AM

    1 billion was probably more 20 years ago

    45
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    Mute Thomas Maher
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    Feb 26th 2015, 4:41 PM

    £1 billion in 95. Today would be about £4 billion give or take a couple of hundred million ish.
    But as someone earlier quoted its only numbers on a screen. Face it the likes of most of us here will never see anything like that type like type of cash.

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    Mute John Fahey
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    Feb 26th 2015, 6:26 AM

    How could you go into work, day after day with the figures spiralling up like that?! Imagine the stress!

    It puts today’s PowerPoint into perspective! :D

    137
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    Mute Antrim
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    Feb 26th 2015, 1:58 PM

    Sounds like father Ted when Ted and Dougal started to hammer the car to get the dent out of it

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    Mute Brehon Law
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    Feb 26th 2015, 8:23 AM

    Nick proved what David Icke said in 1990 – there’s no such thing as money anymore, only numbers on a screen. Those numbers only matter to those of us beneath the pile because, without them, we can’t live. For the powers that be they are just likes chips in a casino.

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    Mute Michael Cunningham
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    Feb 26th 2015, 2:40 PM

    So Icke once said something that wasn’t totally batshit insane. Duly noted. Wonder was this before or after his turquoise phase?

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    Mute alwaysrightokay
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    Feb 26th 2015, 7:19 AM

    Ah will ye stop. Youll be telling me next ray d’arcy went back to rte.

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    Mute Ciarán Masterson
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    Feb 26th 2015, 2:29 PM

    He did wrong and did the time for it and has turned his life around. Fair play to him.

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    Mute ohaimhirghin
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    Feb 26th 2015, 2:02 PM

    Too much greed and not enough fear.

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    Mute Luke Evans
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    Feb 26th 2015, 1:55 PM

    those bankers are all sociopaths who are unable to feel remorse .. that’s why they’re able to do what they do

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    Mute Antrim
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    Feb 26th 2015, 1:52 PM

    It’s only money

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    Mute Deco James Connolly
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    Feb 26th 2015, 2:26 PM

    He’s gonna be the next minister for finance .

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    Mute Dara Darkey
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    Feb 26th 2015, 2:42 PM

    What an amazing story. They should make a movie about it!

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    Mute tom
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    Feb 26th 2015, 11:09 PM

    Forget Barings.
    He brought down Galway Utd….

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    Mute kevin
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    Feb 26th 2015, 11:27 PM

    -He was a young guy who happened to be a financial wizard.
    -there is no ethics or morality in banking.
    - put a young financial wizard in charge of front and back office banking activities in a culture of no morality or ethics and with probability…this will happen regularly.
    - he deserved his jail sentence but so does the whole banking system.

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    Mute Kane Abel
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    Feb 26th 2015, 3:33 PM

    Ah come on, he looks like a tool, this should have been picked up on during the interview…..

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    Mute Meehawwl O' Buachailla
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    Feb 26th 2015, 8:30 PM

    I lived in Singapore for a number of years and he’s still a legend of sorts there. Everyone has a “story” about him….how they once played football with him,how he once donated $1000 to some charity they were collecting for etc. There’s even a cocktail named in his honour at the bar he used to drink in (Harrys bar on Boat quay) called “The Bank Breaker”.

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