The Bathurst community Christmas lunch has again proven another success to bring festive cheer to less fortunate residents across the region.
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Around 110 meals were served up on Christmas Day at Bathurst's Hope Church by a committed team of 27 volunteers, ensuring all guests were properly catered for.
Co-organiser Marina Gray [who organised the event alongside Cheryl Blackwell] said the event was well-received by adults and children alike.
"Santa came and handed out presents to the children, it was a really joyful moment," Mrs Gray said.
"There was a sweet little five-year-old girl lead the Christmas carols, which certainly got everyone into the Christmas spirit."
Mrs Gray said a few attendees even came bearing their own food and gifts as donations, proving the value of giving never goes astray, regardless of circumstances.
"Everyone got a present, and there were plenty of activities on offer for adults and children to participate in," she said.
"We even had a bloke show up on the day wondering what all the cars out the front were about, and in a kind gesture, he agreed to volunteer for the whole day."
This year's lunch was the first in over three decades without long-time organiser Barney Rumble at the helm, but Mrs Gray said he stopped by to say "hello and goodbye."
"Barney called in with his daughters to see how everything was going, and plenty of people were happy to see him," she said.
"He will certainly be missed, as he was such a big part of this event for many, many years."
With their first event as organisers now out of the way, Mrs Gray said it has given her and Cheryl plenty of food for thought for next year.
"My husband and I used to put a community Christmas lunch on in Bourke, it's simply something we enjoy doing," she said.
"There's definitely potential for this event to continue to flourish in the coming years, and 'touch wood' COVID's less of a concern by next Christmas."
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Sam Bolt
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
