Southern images: December 17-29, 2012

HOLD ON TIGHT: Friends Desiree Stevens, left, and Hailey Keelty, of Christchurch, hang on as they get airborne on a tube behind a jetski on Lake Te Anau.

FAMILY TREE: A family of swallows, with the youngsters in the centre, enjoy the sunshine near the Conon St bridge in Invercargill.

FINISHED: Firefighters dampen down hot spots after a fire in Lowburn Valley Rd near Cromwell.

SAD SANTA: Gimblett St resident Tom Ballantine rests up after a not-so-jolly Christmas, during which he injured his leg and a Santa statue was stolen from his garden.

Rylee Deveryn, 5, left, and Savanah Wairau, 6, enjoy a shower at Queens Park.

Joshua Judkins, 1, of Lake Hawea, near Wanaka, soaks up the sun with his family in a Gore park.

Cooling off: Riverton crowds make the most of the sunshine.

Hooked on holidays: Caitlin Te Tai, 7, of Invercargill, fishes with Piper Spencer, 9, and Griffyn Spencer, 11, both from Christchurch. All three joined crowds of people at Riverton.

Summer fun: Harry Burgess, 16, and his brother Jack, 13, take an unplanned dip on a sunny Riverton afternoon.

Louise and Wayne King , both of Alexandra, were two of the hundreds of bookworms who grabbed themselves a bargain during the 25th Alexandra Rotary Club’s annual book sale in Alexandra.

Spending mood: Boxing Day shoppers fill Esk St and the city centre as they hunt out bargains.

Enthusiastic: Badminton star Anna Rankin shaved her head to raise $7000 for cancer research through the New Zealand Cancer Society.

Patrick Williams, 11, of Clyde, dives into Lake Dunstan from a pontoon at the Dunstan Rowing Club as he and his friends cool off from the sun.

Something to chew over: Woodlands Research Station manager Kevin Knowler has been sowing ryegrass for the past few weeks as part of a new trial.

Artist’s story: Eastern Southland Gallery staff member Julie Blacker beside the Matthew Couper collection on display at the gallery.

Patrick Moran and his son, Connor, 8 months, enjoy the fine weather with Connor’s cousins Mitchell Gowers, 7, Amber Gowers, 9.

A given: Jono Leask, his partner Sheena Manu and their daughters Alia, 5, and Imogen-Jade, 17 months , are spending Christmas in hospital after Imogen-Jade suffered a seizure.

Stocking up: Nursing student Jessica Hardegger, 20, prepares medical supplies for her trip to India, where she will be volunteering in a rural medical centre.

Cherry Christmas: Rob’s Rural Market fruit stall workers Matthew Ryley and Val Joyce, both of Earnscleugh, were busy selling cherries to customers.

Special time: Peacehaven Village rest home resident Dorothy Frew, centre, is joined by her husband, Angus, and her daughter Christine Frew for Christmas lunch.

Yummy: Paige Brown, 10, checks out the desserts at the Ascot Park Hotel Christmas lunch.

Alexander Lindsay, 10, and Jaewon Lee, 11, make the most of Invercargill’s busy streets during the start of the holiday season by busking for holiday pocket money.

Animal magic: Sparks the clown modelling balloons for 7-year-old Ariana Adams in Esk St in Invercargill on Christmas Eve. Ariana was among the thousands of people enjoying the sun in Invercargill in the leadup to Christmas.

Fresh produce: Cheryl Ashton, left, buys her fresh Christmas vegetables from Astrid Murray at the Malcolm family stall in Herbert St.

Stella, 3, Theo, 2, and Isaac Manson, 5, have some fun riding through Queens Park on a sunny and warm summer day in Invercargill.

Winging it: A quad-bike turned into an aeroplane in the Christmas Eve Santa Parade in Riverton.

Crazy costumes: The Bananas in Pyjamas made an appearance in the Christmas Eve Santa parade in Riverton, one of 53 entries in the annual parade.

Getting fit for Christmas: Santa hits the rowing machine to help him make sure he can carry his heavy sack of presents.

Stocking stuffers: Last-minute Christmas shoppers in Invercargill kept retailers busy at the weekend.

Centenarian: Ethel Pemberton marks her 100th birthday.

Excited: St Andrew’s Scottish Society Southland chief Barbara Swain and chieftain Bruce McNaughton get ready for the society’s Hogmanay celebrations at the Scottish Hall at the end of this month.

All aboard: Thunder Jet director Neville Kelly at the launch party for Thunder 3.

Aged craft: Constable Glenn Matheson with the old canoe recovered with the body of an Italian restaurant worker near Brod Bay in Lake Te Anau.

Jody Direen performs Man, I Feel Like a Woman with the Stadium Southland Dance Group at the ILT Christmas Variety Show at the Civic Theatre.

Change of scene: John ‘‘Boggy’’ McDowell on his last day at Classic Hits radio station.

Shining example:A Light Up Christmas Spectacular spot prize winner, 65 Rimu St in full sparkle mode.

Trouble spot: Strategic Traffic Unit Constable Nigel Jack at the Lindisfarne St- Tay St intersection which police say has not coped with the change to the give-way rule in March.

In step: Cancer Society spokeswoman Debbie Jamieson and WHK Southland managing principal Neil McAra are ready to dance at the WHK Cancer Society Gala Ball next June.

For Mexico: New Zealand track cycling representative Matt Archibald training at the Stadium Southland Invercargill velodrome.

ALL THE PRECAUTIONS: Staff from John McMurdo Autopainting, from left, Dave Henry, Kevin Payne and Dave Payne prepare for a safe ‘‘tradies’ day’’. And police are encouraging them to have a good time but to get home safely this ‘‘tradies’ day’’.

PARADE PROPS: Organiser Raewyn Black, left, son Cameron Black, and daughter Laura Davie unpack props for Riverton’s Christmas Eve parade.

UNEXPECTED: Southland Art Society Inc Provincial Pride Members Art Awards people’s choice winner Michael Scheele.

MANGLED: Two people were taken to hospital after a ute, towing a hay tedder, ran into the back of a truck-and-trailer unit. The truck driver was not injured but the two people in the ute were taken to Southland Hospital.

WINNING TIPS: Shaun Robinson, left, and Yasmin Hemsley, right, get some tips from the 2011 Miss Alexandra Ashleigh Anderson for the year’s Miss Alexandra Swimsuit Competition. Swimsuit contest attracts 20 entrants.

CAROLS: Wendy Bates and Caitlin McWhirter, 7, secured a prime spot shortly before the rescheduled Carols By Candlelight concert in Queens Park, Invercargill. A crowd of more than 1000 people attended the concert, held around the park’s band rotunda and run by the Invercargill YMCA.

JOY-RIDE: North Windsor School prizewinners, from left, Reuben Haywood, 11, Emma Riley, 11, Kate Loan, 10, and Alex-Helena Cope, 11, hang out in the bright yellow 1938 Chevrolet Master they arrived at school.

PRACTISING: Stadium Southland special events co-ordinator Lucy Blackmore, right, with Hannah Skeggs, co-director for the 2012 ILT Christmas Show, as the Stadium Southland dancers strike a pose. Back, from left, Courtney Skelt, 18, Louise Bowman, 18, Chelsea King, 18. Front, from left, Annabel Clarke, 15, Annaleigh Hamilton, 18, Tayla Shepherd, 14, and Jordan Skelt, 15.

DISMAYED: Disability Resource Centre Southland general manager Debbie Webster is fighting to keep the centre from losing its contract with the Southern District Health Board.

RINSE AND SPIN: Young swimmers Bryleigh Ray, 7, and brother Brayden, 9, enjoy a wild ride down Splash Palace’s hydroslide. The slide has been popular with children enjoying the first weeks of the school holidays, with dozens queuing up for a go on the slide at the pool.

TAKING IT EASY: Wanaka detective Dave Evans hopes to spend more time relaxing in his garden after retiring from nearly four decades in the police force.

BEAUTIFUL MOVES: Winton dancer Damen Axtens, 12, won the Level 2 competitions at the Genee Junior Challenge at the St James Theatre in Wellington.

BOOKWORM: Hayden Scott-Chambers, 16, is ready for the Summer Reading Challenge at the Invercargill Public Library.

LONG RUN: Australian adventure runner Richard Bowles arrives in Bluff after being the first person to run the 3054km Te Araroa trail.

CONCRETE PROOF OF PROGRESS: The second of four 23-tonne concrete blocks to be fitted to the wall of Stadium Southland was put in place by the Amalgamated Builders construction crew – the last major work on-site before Christmas.

BUBBLE TROUBLE: Caiden Lonneker, 5, of Riverton, has fun playing in the suds in the fountain at the Gala St Reserve. Suds piled high on the fountain, thanks to a prankster, and while the foam delighted playful children, it has caused a headache for Invercargill City Council staff.

FRUSTRATING: Invercargill man Craig Soper has been fighting for custody of his daughter Anneliese, now 3 and living in Brunei, for 18 months. He says his 2-year-old daughter was illegally detained in Brunei 18 months ago, is no closer to getting her home and now faces the prospect of Christmas without her.

COMBINING NATURE WITH FUN: Young fan Amelie Forrester, 4, gets an autograph from award-winning author and performer Craig Smith before he played a medley of songs from his bestselling children’s books The Wonky Donkey, Willbee The Bumblebee and his latest book, Kaha the Kea.

LIGHTS, ACTION: Dr William Grove, of Riverton, at the opening of the Riverton Medical Centre’s new building.

LIFETIME’S WORK: Windsor North Primary School principal Roger Stephenson, who is retiring after 19 years in the job.