AN OPEN HOME AND PLENTY OF FESTIVE LOVE

On Christmas Day, most families open gifts under the Christmas Tree.  Villa and Paul Fernandes in Auckland, New Zealand, open their front doors to well-wishers, friends, neighbours, family and community members.  “No one should spend Christmas alone.”  This thought of around 30 years ago, now has become a movement that has had many guests from all over Auckland spend Christmas Day at Pinehall, Browns Bay.  This journalist was one of them when she arrived , at the Fernandes’ front door, as a stranger, 23 years ago.

There has been no start time, end time or restrictions for the festivities.  Visitors arrive from 11am and are welcomed with coffee and cookies, cake and Christmas Carols.  Those that arrive around mid-day are greeted to aromas of prawn curry, roasted ham, turkey, chicken, lamb, pork sorpotel, fries, spice and to a choice of spirits, wines, beers and liqueurs.  Thanks to the singer-instrumentalist-dancer Paul, the house always is alive with the sound of music.  DJs Hygino (Gino) Oliveria and Bruno Martis, who have taken the lead from Paul, contribute their technical skills to cater to different genres and generations of guests that waltz around the property.  Come late-afternoon/early-evening, the home is transformed into a well-lit song and dance studio; complete with an assortment of desserts to sweeten the atmosphere.

30 years ago, Villa and Paul immigrated to Auckland from Dhahran in Khobar, Saudi Arabia.  The then Business Visa holders arrived with dreams of living the luxurious life. Their successful businesses could afford the splendour of the festivities.  And their experiences in the hospitality and aviation industries, coupled with their generosity, made Christmas for their guests an event to enjoy with old-timers and newcomers.

Sadly, when COVID hit, it did impact Villa’s and Paul’s professional lives.  A former café owner, the now 72-year-old Villa, has been an early childhood teacher and has been working 40 hours a week until two years ago.  Villa is well-known for her cake-making and cooking skills.  A former airline manager, the now 84-year-old Paul owned a travel agency and now upgrades their “Display Home” and upkeeps its surrounding landscapes.  Paul is popularly known for his musical skills – a deep voice that effortlessly overpowers other singers in the room, an ability to play the mouth organ and the capability to modernize his dance moves. The COVID setbacks could not dampen the couples’ festive spirits.  Instead, it turned out to be their setup to keep intact their 3D (Desire, Drive, Determination) to host Christmas Day in a memorable way for their community.  The presence of Santa and his bagful of goodies speaks for itself.

The spacious indoors and outdoors comfortably accommodate long tables of beverage and food comprising around 30 items that stretch across the kitchen, dining room, living room and conservatory.   The high-rise ceilings and glass walls are complete with Christmas decorations.  And the floor space is covered with couches and chairs that comfortably accommodate the 90 guests that walk through their front doors.  Say Helen and Stephen D’souza from West Auckland, who have been their guests for the past 30 years, “We have experienced the entire Christmas season in that one day.  When we first met one another, it was a celebration between three couples only.  Three decades later, their home still is open to all families who feel alone.”  Adds Jill and Eufronio (Monty) Monteiro from the North Shore, “Our sons have settled in Canada and UK.  When they visit New Zealand for the Christmas holidays, they prefer to spend Christmas Day at Villa-Paul’s.  When we first visited them, our eldest son Joshua was eight and now is 34.  This year, we will be visiting the “Table of Plenty” with my five-month-old granddaughter.  That would be a celebration spanning three generations.”

When the last guests leave (which is in the wee hours of next morn), Villa and Paul are surrounded by tabletops filled with dirty dishes and glasses.  Yet they are consumed by a home that has been filled with merry-making and plans for next Christmas.  “Come Boxing Day, we stay behind closed doors.  However, our hearts continue to stay open to those wanting more of the festive cheer.  Our guest list and banquet keep changing…But our message has remained the same - No one should spend Christmas alone.”  Villa and Paul hope that, when they cannot continue, someone will step into their shoes to keep alive what once was a thought and now has become a tradition that also celebrates belonging and inclusion.

SOPHIE MENEZES

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A CELEBRATION OF A REMARKABLE JOURNEY

Image
When 98-year-old Irene Marie Jones moved to the Opal Care Nursing Home in Alfred Cove, it was a new chapter in her life. The loss of her beloved Edward Lloyd Jones; who she was married to for 71 years and shared her age, led her to be in a place that was most close to one of her children.  “I felt all alone.  I had to relocate to the Opal Care Nursing Home; a three-minute drive away from my daughter Michelle.  However, I stayed self-confident.” Born on 09 May 1927, and raised in Rangoon (Burma), Irene has been fiercely independent.  In 1966 when 39, the then stenographer relocated to Sydney (Australia) and began her career in the private sector.  Irene’s favourite hobby was baking and making cake decorations.  She baked her son’s wedding cake and carried with her the two-tier delight on the flight to Perth. In 1980 when 53, Irene relocated from Sydney with her family and settled in Ferndale.  The love for her growing family of three sons and four daugh...
Read more

A SERVICE WITH A DIFFERENCE

Image
The Passion of Jesus Christ is celebrated by Roman Catholics in all Churches around the globe and is no different in Australia.  In Perth, the” Passion” (beginning with Christ’s Agony in the Garden and ending with His Crucifixion and death on the Cross)  was well-enacted on Good Friday at the Good Shepherd Church Lockridge.  Staged by the youth during the 10am service, “The Stations of the Cross,” the play captured the emotions around Christ’s life and death through its settings, costumes, make-up, lights, sound, and voices that matched the script. According to 32-year-old Youth Facilitator Francis Plando, “Our parish is motivated to inspire all those with whom we connect; particularly our youth.  Each year, our focus in staging the play has been on involving the youth as actors  rather than spectators.”   38 youngsters comprised this year’s cast and four youngsters comprised the choir that created the reflective atmosphere. The Parish’s enthusiasm to ...
Read more

HELPING HANDS THATS MELTING HEARTS

Image
  Living on the streets is tough without food, water, clothing and a home.   And gets tougher when in winter.   Though strangers, communities and charities extend their help, yet a lot more   is needed to get the homeless people through their most difficult time of isolation   It is in this context that Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Inglewood, Perth, has emerged as a watchtower of hope. Every first Saturday of the month, Saint Peter’s hosts at its Parish Hall an elaborate hot meal; complete with soft drinks, dinner, dessert, tea, coffee, milk and biscuits.   Such is the organising standard that its select 12-18 homeless persons travel by public transport from the inner city and the distant suburbs to the venue for a taste of warmth and for the comfort of companionship. According to event coordinator and former school teacher Angela Bird, “We are a What App group of around 20 adult volunteers who, a week in advance, begin planning our mixed ethnic me...
Read more