Lunch dishes up Christmas cheer for Cairns community

Each year the Cairns Community Christmas Lunch serves up a delicious meal open to all – but in the experience of volunteers Ron and Ursula Baldwin, it’s about so much more than that.

EACH year the Cairns Community Christmas Lunch serves up a delicious meal open to all – but in the experience of volunteers Ron and Ursula Baldwin, it’s about so much more than that.

“A lot of the people just want to have a chat,” Mr Baldwin said.

“So you make them feel welcome, introduce them to the other people, and it’s just giving them a reasonable time for Christmas.”

The couple have been volunteering their time at the annual Christmas lunch since it was started by Brian and Liz Edmonds four years ago.

Mrs Baldwin said that as she and her husband didn’t have family close by, Christmas wasn’t that important to them.

“And we thought well, at least this is a tiny little bit we can do. We come in the day before to do the decorations and on the actual day we’re serving and talking to people.”

Vaccination requirements made this year's lunch a little different to last – but no one was turned away, with those who weren’t able to get inside were given takeaway meals.

Mr Edmonds estimated they’d end up serving around 200 people a Christmas meal on Saturday at St Augustine’s College.

The lunch is generously supported by a gang of volunteers, as well as the wider community.

Originally published as Lunch dishes up Christmas cheer for Cairns community