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When Jeanette Bradshaw’s brother said he would like to enjoy a good meal and meet new people for Christmas, she jumped on the internet and found the Winton community Christmas lunch.
Pastor and volunteer Tekura Wilding said that was exactly why the annual event started, now in its second year.
“We love our community and we love the people, but there are many people who are alone. That’s what this is for; socialize. “
The brothers were among 50 people from across Southland who enjoyed a full Christmas lunch, complete with pavlova and Christmas cookies, at Winton Presbyterian Church on Friday.
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Bradshaw spread the word, and eventually she and her brother Lex were joined by four others from Invercargill.
“Jeanette wouldn’t let me go,” joked her partner Mike Teka.
Lex had fond memories of the place, where he used to visit to play dominoes in his youth.
“We used to have so much fun that we didn’t want to go back to Invercargill,” he recalled.
Robyn Edie / Stuff
Jeanette Bradshaw, third from left, gathered a group from Invercargill to celebrate Christmas at the community luncheon in Winton. With her, from left to right, are Michael Johns, Kay Johns, Lex Bradshaw, Mike Heka and Richie Percival.
Sitting at a table, Tere Webb was celebrating Christmas with her son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren; after attending a church service in the morning.
I was quite glad I didn’t have to do the dishes this year.
The Pasifika family brought a gift for the volunteers because “we are not going anywhere without a gift.”
“I wasn’t going to come here with nothing,” Webb told Wilding.
Yvonne Dynes and Heather Macdonald loved the idea of a community lunch.
Robyn Edie / Stuff
Yvonne Dynes, left, and Heather Macdonald, of Winton, are members of Winton Presbyterian Church and would have spent the day alone if not for the community lunch.
“I was going to be alone, alone, alone today,” Macdonald said, adding that she enjoyed catching up with people she hadn’t seen in a while.
“It’s a fantastic idea, many people are lonely for one reason or another,” he said.
Dynes felt a bit guilty about missing church, but said the packages waiting for her under the tree were wonderful, particularly the photo frames.
“I’m going to have to fill them up,” he said beaming.
Organizer Maree Ronald was proud that lunch was served only four minutes late.
Robyn Edie / Stuff
Teresa Melville, left, Kerry Tuffin and Sam Grayson were among the kitchen team that prepared the Christmas lunch. Melville got the idea for the community luncheon after seeing similar events offered elsewhere in Southland. This year, the Winton Community Christmas Lunch was one of the few offered in the region.
“Last year we were 15 minutes late,” he said.
Support from the greater Southland community meant that everything from food to decorations to gifts had been donated.
Volunteers kept showing up on Christmas morning to lend a hand, and Ronald said he had even had to turn some down.
A kitchen team started working around 8:30 am to prepare three types of meats, salads and desserts.
Robyn Edie / Stuff
Volunteer Sam Grayson, left, serves lunch to Bronc Morgan and Paul Kirk of Hokonui and Pat and Donald Taylor of Nightcaps on Friday. The Taylors were taking a short break from the dairy farm to celebrate.
Leftovers were divided among guests and delivered to the community refrigerator, Ronald said.
“I always cook for too many.”
Wilding said the group of 18 volunteers, who had spent a year organizing the lunch, was much more organized for their “second chance.”
She said that lunch had been advertised everywhere and was open to absolutely everyone.
“We don’t care if you’re from Timbuktu,” he said.
