About 600 people will sit down in Sutherland Entertainment Centre for the traditional John Franklin Christmas Day Lunch, which is being held for the seventeenth year.
St Patrick’s Catholic Church and St John’s Anglican Church, at Sutherland, provide the free lunch to those who are without company on Christmas Day.
It caters for a wide range of people, including the homeless, single parents, young families struggling financially and the lonely, particularly the aged and disabled.
The numbers have grown considerably since 25 people attended the first first lunch, which was held in the St Patrick’s parish hall.
Margaret Morters, a member of the organising committee, said, as usual, the response to an appeal for volunteers this year had been overwhelming.
Ms Morters said 220 volunteers had been recruited and no more were required.
They work in three shifts – preparing for the lunch, serving it and cleaning up afterwards.
The event resulted from a warm association which developed over time between a young man, John Franklin, and Father John Sullivan, who was at the time the parish priest of St Patrick’s, and has since retired.
Mr Franklin lived his life on the streets of the shire and became a regular visitor to the St Patrick’s presbytery, where he was welcomed with a “cuppa”, companionship and the opportunity to have a chat.
Over time, he told Father Sullivan of the “ups and downs” of his life and, in 2000, voiced his sadness at the loneliness that people such as himself experienced particularly during the Christmas season.
Father Sullivan relayed the conversation to parishioners of St Patrick’s, but before the community had the opportunity to act, Mr Franklin died at the age of 37.
Following Mr Franklin’s death, Father Sullivan promoted the idea of the Christmas Day lunch, where an open invitation would be extended to anyone wishing to celebrate Christmas Day with others.
The reaction from the parishioners was overwhelming, and the St Patrick’s community was quickly joined by members of St John’s Anglican Church congregation, and a committee was formed.
The event was named in memory of Mr Franklin and, the committee says, is “representative of all persons disadvantaged for one reason or another, or for those who simply do not have someone with whom to share Christmas”.
The event is funded by cash and product donations from individuals, schools, churches, community groups and commercial enterprises throughout Sutherland Shire and neighbouring areas.
Further information: Call 9545 0498 or email jfcl.2512@gmail.com
