Lantern Parade sheds light on Woombye spirit

Local Kids Leon and Aliyah Hailes with grandparents Lisa and Chris Gray and parents Ron and Miranda.

It was a bright and inspiring gathering as young and old alike took to the streets for Woombye’s Lantern Parade on December 9.

Just on dusk, children and families gathered by the Bank, sitting on the grass, complete with donkeys, sang songs with Liza, and watched the switching on of the lights of the tree in the street.

Lights, torches and lanterns illuminated the evening, as the parade made it’s way from Bendigo bank to St Margarets Church to share in some Christmas cheer and some Festive treats. The children, and some parents, had made wonderful lanterns in all shapes and sizes walked down Wakefield Street, along Kiel and up to St Margaret’s where baskets full of Christmas cookies waited for them, as well as a very large cream cake baked by the Woombye Bakery. A delightful evening closed with the Merry Christmas song, and thanks by the Anglican Rector of the Parish Rev Ralph Bowles expressing thanks to all and good wishes for Christmas.

A meal at the Woombye Pub was enjoyed by some afterwards, and thanks to the Pub for a Christmassy decorated veranda and delicious meals. “It is so good to see this hinterland community together, the bank, bakery, kindergarten, church and people of the district doing what has been always been done in Woombye since its earliest days, when people needed to work together to survive,” said local historian Margaret Woodrow.

The event is sponsored and supported by the Woombye Community & Business Association, Woombye Childcare & Kindergarten and Bendigo Bank.

Correction  

A story in last week’s Gazette about landscaping works being carried out at Palmwoods Memorial Hall said funding came from a Sunshine Coast Council grant. In fact, the source of funds is a grant from Queensland RSL.