FIVE ELVES OF INTEREST
The
ORNAMENT MAKER
BY JANIE GOULD
A beloved holiday tradition that began 21
110
years ago in Indian River County was supposed
to be a one-time venture. Instead, it’s
continued for more than two decades.
Each year since 1992, the Garden Club of Indian
River County has produced and sold a limited-edition
Christmas ornament depicting a historic local landmark
such as the old Barber Bridge, Vero’s iconic drawbridge
that was replaced in the mid-1990s. Some ornaments
show a notable natural feature, such as Sebastian Inlet,
Pelican Island or sea turtle hatchlings, or something
from history, such as a Spanish treasure ship.
Arundathie Wijetilleke, an artist known for her
impressionistic paintings, creates the concept and
design after a committee selects the subject. By midsummer,
her design ends up in the hands of a production
company – the same company that creates
ornaments for the White House – and the finished
product is a 22-carat gold-plated brass ornament,
with painted enamel.
Every year, the subject of the ornament is a closely
guarded secret known only to a handful of club
members. This year’s ornament, announced Oct. 31,
is the Blue Cypress Marsh Conservation Area.
Wijetilleke says the project began when Nat Jackson,
a friend and fellow garden club member, showed her
an ornament from North Carolina.
“Her husband was born in North Carolina, and
one day her husband’s sister sent Nat an ornament
showing the hospital where he was born. Nat
brought it to me and said, ‘Why don’t we do something
like this.’ I said, ‘Sure!’ ”
The first ornament depicted the old Florida East
Coast railroad station in Vero Beach, now headquarters
for the Indian River County Historical Society.
The garden club ordered 900 ornaments and sold
them for $10 each. To everyone’s surprise, apparently,
they sold out in a few days. At that point, the
committee decided to produce an ornament every
year, as part of a limited-edition series. Now, the club
sells about 2,000 ornaments each year, and resists all
requests to do a second edition. Sales support the
garden club’s civic activities. The ornament’s price is
now $20.
“The price hasn’t kept up with the cost of living!”
Wijetilleke says with a laugh.
A native of Sri Lanka, Wijetilleke earned a law
degree from the University of London and worked
as a lawyer for the Sri Lankan government for a year.
A few days after she married Dr. Asoka Wijetilleke in
1971, the couple moved to the United States. He is a
>> ED DRONDOSKI PHOTO
A SEASON OF CELEBRATION