Carols in the Park 2022

Hosted by the Gilgandra Combined Churches, the night began with a free barbecue and treats before the singing! The New Life Centre’s band and singers led the crowd of about 300 people in the Christmas carols. Local schools also performed a few popular Christmas hits with much enthusiasm.

A special surprise performance was also a highlight for the children, with former local David Mudford returning with his puppet ‘Stan’ to educate the crowd on the Christmas story. Another musical performance was a duet by sisters Naomi McCutcheon and Janet Cheal.

The New Life Centre’s Daniel Volkofsky gave this year’s Christmas message. He said Jesus is the ultimate Christmas gift.

“We are deserving of God’s judgement, and his love, as he gave us Jesus. I challenge you to view yourselves according to God’s standards. If you give yourself to God, believe in him, it will give a whole new sense of the meaning of the baby we remember at Christmas,” he said.

Stuart Border was the night’s master of ceremonies; doing a good job to keep everything flowing nicely. A birthday celebration isn’t complete without a big birthday cake. Ross Barden had the honour of cutting the cake with the help of local children. The cake was then shared with the crowd.

Local children also enjoyed the park playground. The night ended with a round of ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas’. For those that looked up walking back to their cars, a big rainbow was painted across the sky behind the park. It was a fitting end to another successful community event.