Spreading Christmas cheer

KATINA CURTIS

FIFTY years ago, Noel Creighton took on the special responsibility of helping Santa Claus out by going to events around Kiama that the big man couldn’t get to.

He started out by going to the Creighton family Christmas gatherings at the old tennis club in Hindmarsh Park in 1957 and after that word spread that Santa had a reliable helper in town.

Soon after he began cheering up drivers stuck in traffic jams on Terralong Street on Christmas Eve. Mr Creighton has helped out at the old Kiama Infants School, pre-schools, community groups and sports club Christmas events over the years and still goes to many celebrations as Santa, including those for Meals on Wheels, Blue Haven, Cleary Bros and the Order of Amaranth.

If you take a look at Mr Creighton’s sparkling blue eyes, you can see why he is good at the job.

“I do get a certain amount of pleasure out of it,” he said. “When I used to (talk with) the kids, they would do something just a bit special for you; you’d see the gleam in their eye.

“It’s really a wonderful time of year.”

He said that when he started out he used to play the role mostly for children, but he now does it more for older people.

“I’m fortunate because I know a lot of the people and I can get in their ear and say, ‘G’day Barry, how are you going?’ and they say, ‘Who’s that then?’.”

There were the occasional sad moments, particularly when visiting the dementia ward at Blue Haven, where he knew several people.

Mr Creighton still uses the original bell and belt made by his brothers 50 years ago and said he thought it was especially important for Santa to have a proper bell.

“Santa has to be jolly, he has to be chubby, he has to be a good communicator and he must have a bell,” he said.