Long-time stand-in for the man in the red suit Dave Rugendyke has completed creating his brand new transport, fit to carry plenty of presents - or at least large enough for photo shoots with children. 

"I made it out of a '60s golf cart," he said. 

"It's only got a handbrake so I had to make a footbrake and a clutch to make it stop!"  

He estimated the cart cost $400 and he spent $100 of materials fixing it up, finishing its construction in November after six months of "tinkering about", and as far as he knows it is the only one of its kind in the Bega Valley.

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"I just make up things out of what I've got available," the Cobargo resident said.

There may also be more improvements made to the sleigh in the future.

"I've been thinking about how to get reindeer on it, but I don't think I can," he said. 

"Reindeer are a problem, but this will do." 

Mr Rugendyke is well-known for donning his Santa costume every year to appear at preschools or around the community. 

When asked how long he had been doing it for, he just said "for years".

"When I was in the police force I had access to police cars and I would do about 25 preschools a season," he said.

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"It's been fun and I've always enjoyed doing Santa for Christmas. 

"It's just good for the community and it's good for the kids."

Mr Rugendyke took his sleigh to the Cobargo Preschool on Wednesday, December 19, much to the delight of the children there, and he has also visited Quaama with it twice. 

"I've taken it out a few times and on Christmas Eve I'll drive it around town in Cobargo [from 6.30pm] behind a fire truck to say g'day," he said.