A love of Christmas spirit and the community they live in has united three Nyngan mums, who put their heads together and organised an event over the weekend that surpassed all expectations and created a night of memories for locals and visitors alike. 

Elyce Bennett, Kristy Sheather and Rachel Matheson created the ‘Nyngan Community Christmas Party’ event and despite a hot night, the community came out in droves. 

“Christmas is a wonderful time of year,” according to organiser Rachel Matheson. Our original goal was to make Christmas extra special for the children of Nyngan and to bring the community together as one whilst also showcasing talent in the local area and surrounds.” 

The trio decided that not only would they have the lighting of the Christmas tree but also hold markets for locals to sell their homemade goods, or open shops in the main street until late to boost sales in the hopes of making everyone’s festive season a bit brighter. 

“We have such diverse, incredible talent all around us and we love to showcase it,” according to organiser Elyce Bennett. “ That was our vision, not only to bring the community together, but to also provide every organisation, charity, sporting group, hobbyist association, individual or business with a platform to do something to connect with the public and we are so glad to see so many able to do so,” said Mrs. Bennett. 

With Santa, Mrs. Claus, a happy reindeer and lots of elves (looking remarkably like local young people) running kid’s games, jumping castle and waterslide, along with local songsters the Willy Wag Tails and local Fijian Choir, and the Pony Club Chocolate wheel, tree, tinsel and lights, the atmosphere was electrically Christmas, exactly what the organisers were hoping.  

PHOTO: Mr and Mrs Claus with two gorgeous Elves and a hot reindeer 

“It started out as approaching Bogan Shire Council for a community Christmas tree in 2022 which they delivered and then we had a picture of an even bigger event, a Christmas Party for Nyngan that would truly bring Christmas to life,” said organiser Kristy Sheather.  

“When I think of Christmas I think of happiness, joy and fun. I think of children smiling, giggling, twinkling lights, Christmas feasts, carols, Santa, elves, gifts for giving and that is what Saturday night brought,” she said.  

“It was a Christmas wonderland for Nyngan, and we are truly blown away by the enormous amount of community that braved the heat to support us and be a part of bringing Christmas back to life.”  

Stallholder Melissa Salter from Crafted Blooms and Bee-ware loved the night taking to Facebook to express her gratitude. “Thank you to the committee for organising such a well-run event for our community. It truly was a wonderful family evening and to see so many people enjoying themselves is a credit to the committee and your planning,” said Mrs. Salter. 

“The entertainment and activities for the younger community was well thought out and the Fijian Choir was a highlight for many.” 

“By having our honey stall, we loved engaging with the community, and talking bees and honey,” she said.   

PHOTO: Happy arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus 

The Christmas spirit was well and truly alive as several organisations who exceeded their expectations in terms of profit even chose to donate some of their takings to charity, which the team were really happy about.  

Bogan Shire Mayor Glen Neill who couldn’t attend the event due to a local fire said he had been inundated with reports of praise for the night. "We are incredibly grateful to the three busy young mums who organised this fantastic event for the community. From all reports there were lots of happy kids and people who enjoyed the night." 

According to the organisers the staff of Bogan Shire Council were invaluable. “A huge thanks goes to the staff from Bogan Shire Council who helped out along the way. An incredible amount of work behind the scenes goes into planning and making things safe as well as facilitating the tree, lights, road closures, equipment and more, and we could not have done it without them.”  

PHOTO: Local Fijian Choir

“We are absolutely overwhelmed with the response from the community. Thank you to everyone who came out for the event, for us it was especially magic to see the kid’s faces and for them to have so much to do and see,” said Mrs. Bennett. “It has been wonderful to see everyone come together to put on something so spectacular,” she said. 

“We know Christmas isn’t everyone’s thing (though it is definitely ours), but even so, a huge amount of people came to support or be a part of something that we can all be proud of.” 

“It is really what makes this small community so great and to be on the receiving end of it is truly amazing,” said Mrs Bennett.