WITH SUCH a busy schedule in December, Santa decided to make an early pit stop to the Sunshine Coast on Saturday, November 24 and was the guest of honour at the North Shore Community Centre’s ‘Christmas Carnivale’.
The annual event which took a one-year holiday last year was back bigger and better than before and Santa made his arrival by helicopter, opting to give the reindeer a rest before their busy night of work in late December!
North Shore Community Centre Manager Clare Siebel said it was great to have the community event back again.
“We had so much great feedback from the community who were so happy that this event was back on.
“The afternoon was so fantastic, and it would not have been possible without our volunteers who got everything together and we can’t thank our community enough either.”
It was estimated that around 1400 people attended the free community Carnivale which had market stalls, food, entertainment and of course Santa who was happy to pose for photos and had treats for all the children.
“The Christmas Carnivale is about celebrating Christmas as a whole community and this year we were lucky enough to have Bendigo Bank, Sunshine Coast Council, Mortgage Choice, Blue Tongue Helicopters and Maroochy North Shore Lions as major sponsors,” Clare said.
“We also had great support from Pacific Paradise Coles and both the Coolum and Marcoola Surf Clubs who donated prizes.”
Now in its eleventh year, the Christmas celebration is a highlight on the community calendar and is seen as a great way to bring people together.
“Our motto is, “be inspired and be connected” and everybody is welcome here and we want people to know about this community and the great little hub that we have here,” Clare said.
The centre has rooms available to hire and also has many different classes and events weekly with the Sunshine Coast Greek community holding its annual celebration this coming Saturday, December 2 and it is another free community event.
“We are in a great position here and it’s affordable- people can hire and put into place, or even start up, their business and foster ideas or maybe just do an affordable class,” Clare said.
The NSCC is a dynamic community hub and for more information on what’s on at the North Shore Community Centre please visit www.northshorecommunitycentre.org
