Christmas Day workers keeping our state running on December 25
From animal keepers at the zoo to the triple-0 operator monitoring emergency calls, meet the people keeping our state running on December 25.
Sydney Weekend
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As more and more places open on Christmas Day, we often don’t think about the people who need to work to provide us services. We take a look at people from different industries who are happy to serve and protect us over the festive season.
THE CAFE OWNER
ROB FORSYTH
Rob Forsyth has run Forsyth Cafe at Naremburn for 40 years and 15 years ago he accidentally started a new tradition. He dashed up to work to make coffees to take home to the family on Christmas morning and on opening the doors discovered a queue quickly formed.
“You can’t turn people away,” he says.
“Now we do it every year and there’s always a massive queue, to the point where we do one size only because a large takes twice as long.
“There’s someone standing at the end of the queue saying ‘time’s up’ and then we put a sign at the end when it’s over.
“Traditionally we only do it for one hour but this year I think there will be more of a demand, so this year we will open 7am to 9am.
“People are very festive and some bring us sweets and lollies or a bottle of wine which is so appreciated and we really get into the spirit of things.”
Forsythe says taking time away from the family on Christmas Day isn’t an issue because he takes them with him, including son and fellow coffee roaster, Alex.
“Now I rope all my siblings and children in to working as well so we are together. We leave the grandchildren with my wife, we serve the coffees and bring ours home to the family,” Forsyth says.
“It’s good fun. We all have a laugh. One of our staff was an a cappella singer and would sing carols.
“The following year we even had (former NSW premier) Gladys Berejiklian there because her office was up the road and she sang Christmas carols with us, which was great.
“We’ve had Santa turn up a few times as we have a post box at the front and the kids write letters to Santa and he comes to collect them. It’s a special time and fun for everyone.”
THE FIREFIGHTER
PETER WATSON
Christmas Day away from his family is hard but knowing he’s helping Sydneysiders stay safe makes it a sweeter pill to swallow for firefighter Peter Watson.
Because the Fire Brigade operates on a roster system, it’s luck of the draw whether your shift falls on Christmas Day, and this year Station Officer Watson, together with firefighter Emma Murray and senior firefighter Dianne McDonald, will staff Yennora Fire Station.
“Our public holidays like Christmas Day are business as usual, but we take pleasure in the fact we can help people on those days,” Watson says.
“I’ll start at 8am and finish at 8am on Boxing Day. We live in Bowral so my wife and two boys will have Christmas with the family and I’ll catch them the night before when we will have our own family thing.”
Station staff will get into the Christmas spirit by decorating the trucks and sharing a special meal together.
“We have to plan a Christmas lunch that is OK if we have to leave halfway through, so things like cold cuts,” Watson says.
“You really don’t know what’s going to happen, but what you find is the mornings are busy when people are out and about travelling to lunches, so the roads are busy which can unfortunately lead to car accidents. Again, when people are travelling home in the afternoon it’s also normally a busy time.
“There are also a lot of barbecues over lunchtime which can create call outs for us. But for the most part in my experience, because Christmas is such a friendly, exciting and joyous occasion, nothing major has occurred.”
To make his job easier, he urges families to plan ahead, get LPG gas cylinders checked for leaks, turn off Christmas lights overnight and keep real Christmas trees well watered in case there’s a lighting short circuit.
THE SURF LIFE SAVER
BRENT JACKSON
As president of Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club, Brent Jackson could have more than 30,000 people under his watch at the world famous stretch of sand on Christmas Day. His son Jack will also be working on what he says is always a joyful day on the beach.
“Even if the weather is overcast, the water is usually warm,” Jackson says.
“You start to have families arrive in dribs and drabs over the morning, eager to try out new bodyboards, surfboards and cricket sets.
“Later in the day the young crowd comes down after long Christmas lunches, hitting the water to freshen up.
“The atmosphere is always very friendly and a lot of people head over to thank the patrol for being on the beach, and to get a photo with our Christmas tree.”
If it’s raining, there may be 5000 people on the beach by the afternoon. If the sun is shining, there will be six times as many.
“Some years we have had to rescue over 150 people in a few hours,” Jackson says.
“We will spend a lot of the day reminding people to swim between the flags and to not mix alcohol and swimming.
“The club also has an annual lunch in our hall for the disadvantaged in our local area, run with the aid of Wayside Chapel, the Big Kitchen and Harris Farm.
“That reminds us that even though we live in a pretty special area, there are a lot of people that do it tough every year.”
THE TRIPLE-0 OPERATOR
LYNLEY GASKEY
Triple-0 operator Lynley Gaskey has worked in the high-stress role for 14 years, and often puts her hand up for the Christmas shift, as she has again this year.
The mother-of-two spends the morning unwrapping presents with her children, aged 12 and 15, before heading into work in the middle of the day and having dinner with family at night.
“It breaks up the day and it’s only a five-hour shift so you can still juggle the family commitments,” she says.
“My family and the kids are used to it, we have always moved Christmas around based on my shifts, they know the commitment we have here and how important that is.”
Christmas Day is as unpredictable as any other when it comes to emergency calls but Gaskey says car accidents often occur in the mornings as people are rushing to where they have to be, and domestic violence calls flood the afternoons due to alcohol-fuelled family gatherings.
But there is one constant about working the phones on Christmas Day and that’s staff members dressing up.
“Whether it’s a Christmas dress, shirt or tinsel in your hair, we always have dress-ups and get food and it’s always a fun, happy atmosphere,” Gaskey says.
“You spend a lot of time with the people you work with so you get to know them well and are with friends, and it makes you feel nice helping people who need you.
“You never know what’s going to happen but it does make you feel so grateful about your own life and upbringing. No matter what happens, you just have to stay calm.”
THE ZOOKEEPERS
JERRI MAGILL AND TYLER WHITEHOUSE
Giving the animals treats in cardboard boxes that they can rip open like presents is one of the ways keepers at the new Sydney Zoo in western Sydney make Christmas special for their furry, feathered and slithery charges.
Reptile keeper Jerri Magill will be working, comforted by the fact that although she is not able to see her family in New Zealand, the animals under her care feel like family anyway.
“Because of Covid I can’t travel home so it’s not bad working Christmas Day and we have a really fun day,” she says.
“The keepers theme the day with Christmas scrunchies, earrings and fun socks and the zoo puts on a lunch we all have together.
“And we let the animals rip a cardboard box up, and we put food or treats or something fun and smelly inside for them to play with.
“The great thing about working at Sydney Zoo is the animals feel like family, so you still get that family aspect, spoiling the animals and spoiling each other.”
Australian native keeper Tyler Whitehouse spends the day with all the cute and cuddly animals and he can’t wait.
“Enrichment is a large part of what we do here to keep the animals stimulated and thinking, so we cater that towards seasonal events like Halloween and Christmas,” he says.
“We will get big native plants and hang sweet potato and corn from them to make it look like a Christmas tree.
“My family is fine with me not being there, they are used to the zoo life. I will catch up with them at night when I’m finished and it will be a great day.”
THE NEWSREADER
PAUL KADAK
The news doesn’t stop for Christmas. Some years it’s busy with bushfires or wild weather, other times it’s quiet with church services and Christmas messages dominating.
This year Channel 7 newsreader Paul Kadak, unable to celebrate with family in Western Australia, will read the 6pm bulletin on Christmas Day.
“I’ve worked a few Christmas Days in my time and this year because of Covid I’m not able to visit my family anyway, so I took the opportunity to help out on Christmas Day instead. With the time difference I’ll still be able to have plenty of time to catch up with them on the phone after work,” he says.
“It can be busy depending on the day. Obviously, there are a lot of people out and about so you have to keep an eye on things, but even on a quiet Christmas, there’s a lot of great traditions that we cover, so there’s always something going on.”
He says the newsroom has lunch together, one of the positives of spending the day with your “work family”.
“You take that moment over lunch to stop and take some time out with each other, which is really nice,” he says. “Even if you’re not having Christmas with your family, reporting on other people enjoying their special Christmas traditions is a nice way to spend the day.”
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