Pittwater communities band together to bring a season of joy
Carols by the Lake
Community, spirit and the gathering of people together is how Glenn Wysman describes the essence of Carols by the Lake. Narrabeen couple Glenn and Clare Wysman are both lead pastors at the Link Church and started the carols event nearly 21 years ago with a desire to bring a family Christmas event to their home suburb.
“We used to go to a small carols event in Balmoral,” Glenn says. “It was just our little family celebrating Christmas and we thought ‘This is something we need to do in our community.’”
Their first carols event was held at the Tramshed in Narrabeen and around 140 people turned up. It has evolved since then, with last year’s carols drawing 10,000 people to Lakeside Park in North Narrabeen. “It’s something that’s grown exponentially, it’s a huge part of our local community,” Clare says. “People really love it and we love that they love it. We put in a huge amount of effort to make it awesome.”
Carols by the Lake was named the Community Event of the Year by Northern Beaches Council at the Australia Day Awards earlier this year.
Organisation for the carols starts in June and continues right up to the night, with members of both the church and the community volunteering to help. Glenn explains that the event, which will be held on 20 December, starts at 6pm with pre-entertainment by local artists before the traditional carols begin at 7pm. Santa comes to visit, and to wrap up the night, there’s a fireworks display over Narrabeen Lake.
“Towards the end Clare and I say a Christmas message for a few minutes, just connecting the community to Christmas, sharing the spirit,” Glenn says.
Visitors are encouraged to bring their own picnic, but there are food vendors available on the night.
Carolers will also have the opportunity to donate to The Link Community Care program, which is run by the church, offering weekly groceries to those in need at a discounted cost.
“The real heart is the families, local community gathering together, celebrating Christmas sharing hope, love, joy,” Clare says. “It’s very special.”
Kathy Neilson (fourth from left) with The Community Pantry volunteers
Non-perishable food donations, including Christmas treats, can be made to The Link Collective at 1300 Pittwater Road, Narrabeen. Visit link.org.au
Share a meal
On any given Wednesday night, you can find Kathy Neilson and the volunteers of The Community Pantry serving dinner to those in need on the Beaches. But there’s one special night per year when the meals take on a festive feel, and that’s on the Wednesday closest to Christmas day.
“People struggle financially and people are lonely, so it’s the highlight of their week,” Kathy says. “Our primary goal is for our guests to know that they are loved, they are valued, they have purpose. We want them to feel special at Christmas time.”
The Community Pantry is part of St Faith’s Anglican Church in Narrabeen, and for nearly 10 years they have been serving up a sit-down meal to those in need from 5pm to 6pm on Wednesdays at the Narrabeen Sharks Clubhouse. They rely on donations of both money and food to keep the service running, from the church community, local businesses and charities like One Meal.
Kathy, who lives in Collaroy Plateau, was one of the founding members of The Community Pantry. “A lot of the people have been coming for a long time, so everyone feels like family,” she says. The volunteer sees people from all walks of life seeking a plate of food and company. While normally they would serve around 50 people a week, Kathy says the Christmas-themed meal can bring in up to 70 people.
“We have a Christmas dinner with turkey, pork, ham and vegetables, plum puddings or sticky date puddings and fruit salad or pavlovas. Every year is different, but definitely with a Christmas theme,” she says.
Kathy explains that visitors on the night also go home with a hamper, which is provided by different community groups within the church, and a carols sing-a-long often accompanies the dinner.
“We want (people) to feel special at Christmas time,” Kathy says.
The Community Pantry is always in need of more helpers. To assist, email:
kathyneilson@optusnet.com.au
Alison Donnan’s family and friends decorate their boat for the RMYC Marina Christmas Lights festivities
Marina’s bright lights
Bringing sparkle, fairy lights and fun to Pittwater this Christmas is Alison Donnan and her family. Each year the Curl Curl residents dress their Riviera boat up with an inflatable santa, fairy lights and a ton of tinsel and take part in the annual Marina Christmas Lights celebration at the Royal Motor Yacht Club Broken Bay in Newport. “We’ve been doing it for three years now,” Alison says. “My kids bring a bunch of friends and they spend the whole afternoon going to town on the boat putting lights on it.”
Blow-up decorations including Santa in a pirate ship, a giant Christmas tree and a huge giraffe add the special touch which has won their boat the best dressed prize two years in a row. Alison’s whole family gets involved, with husband Michael and children Oscar, 17, and Will, 14, adding to the occasion by dressing up in bright Christmas colours. “It’s a big Christmas party really,” she says. “They have Christmas carols, the lights are on and there’s a band playing.”
Alison’s boat won best dressed last year
The best dressed boat prize is awarded by popular vote, with visitors scanning a QR code to submit their pick.
This year’s free event will take place on 5 December, with festivities kicking off at 5.30pm, and everyone is invited – visitors don’t need to be boat owners to join in the festive spirit.
Alison says that last year around 20 boats on the marina donned lights and decorations to enter the best dressed competition, and it’s a friendly, relaxed atmosphere as everyone walks around to take in the sights. “It’s nothing serious, it’s all just meant to be a lot of fun,” she says. “It’s just a nice community Christmas party atmosphere.”
