Former Taxi Council executive Bill Gonis spends time every Christmas helping residents of SA disability centre visit loved ones

It was 14 years ago that a political crisis first brought Bill Gonis to the Julia Farr Centre on Christmas Day — but it’s the warmth of residents and staff that keep him coming back each year.

Former Taxi Council representative and Greek community leader Bill Gonis with his friend Mary, who he's helped get from the former Julia Farr Centre to spend Christmas with family for the past 14 years. Picture: Supplied

It was 14 years ago that a political crisis first brought Bill Gonis to the Julia Farr Centre on Christmas Day — but it’s the warmth of residents and staff that keep him coming back each year.

Mr Gonis was representing the SA Taxi Council in 2004 when asked to solve the crisis faced by residents of the disability centre. There were not enough cabs to transport them to and from their families and friends.

No longer the go-to man within the taxi industry, Mr Gonis again showed up on Christmas morning at the centre — now Highgate Park — where some familiar faces awaited his arrival.

Mary shrieked with joy when Bill Gonis arrived on Christmas morning with a gift of chocolates.

One long-time resident, Mary, has a special place in Mr Gonis’ Christmas traditions now, and he says the smile on her face each year is among his festive highlights.

“It’s great to get such a friendly response, particularly with Mary. As soon as she sees me there is a sense of excitement from her which is very rewarding,” Mr Gonis said.

“I think we all can benefit from putting something back into the community, this was originally something I did to help solve the problem of transport on Christmas Day, but over the years I have got to know the staff and residents even though we usually only see each other once a year.”

Mr Gonis, who is a respected member of the Adelaide Greek community and helped organise fundraising after this year’s Greek wildfire disaster, said the satisfaction of helping ease the stress of centre residents eager to get out for the day outweighs the time he spends away from his own expanding family.

“After so many years my family knows the routine, and once I have finished at the centre for the day I head straight home and cook the traditional Christmas lunch barbie, which I will be doing again,” he said.

Mr Gonis said the reduction in the number of people living at the Disability SA centre has seen the demand for Christmas cabs dwindle dramatically from around 70 trips four years ago to 12 today, but feels the day would not be the same without his visit to ensure all was running smoothly.

“When I first came here in 2004 there were people in wheelchairs literally lining up to get into a cab, it was chaos. So it’s good to not have that situation any more but I do wonder where all the people who used to live here are now and what they’re doing each Christmas Day.”

Mr Gonis said he had no plans to stop his annual pilgrimage and insisted he gained more from the experience than those he had helped over the years.