Coronavirus Christmas killer: Quakers Hill family told not to put up festive display

A Family behind a famous Western Sydney Christmas light display has been told not to take part this year. SEE WHAT IT MEANS HERE.

Pictured is Lorraine Overton at 7 Mallee street Quakers Hill.

A Quakers Hill Christmas institution — which has seen the Overton family cover their home with tens of thousands of fairy lights and interactive displays for the past 27 years — will be cancelled this year.

Peter and Lauraine Overton pictured at the front of their home. Picture: Christian Gilles

Lauraine and Peter Overton, who raise funds for The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, were advised not to encourage the crowds that usually flock to their home, after being contacted by the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation.

NewsLocal understands that the foundation sought public health advice in September around appropriate gathering numbers before reiterating that advice to fundraisers.

The Quakers Hill family said they were forced to give up on the Christmas light campaign in early October.

“This would have been our 27th year putting up lights,” Mrs Overton told NewsLocal.

“In normal circumstances we would have been well underway in putting up the lights, which usually take around two months to complete.”

7 Mallee st, Quakers Hill will not go ahead this year. Picture: Christian Gilles

Ms Overton said their were “just too many lights to count” in the family’s collection, which was first started to “spark a little Christmas cheer” in 1993.

“Now our lights are owned by the community, it isn’t about us, it is about all of them,” she said.

The owners of the Mallee St, Quakers Hill home said they were inundated with hundreds of well wishes after announcing they wouldn’t put lights up this year.

The family say they were advised not to allow people to gather on their property in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Picture: Christian Gilles

A NSW Health spokeswoman confirmed the independent charity, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation, advised 60 families who took part in the Lights for Kids fundraiser that the “Foundation had made the decision not to run the event this year due to COVID-19”.

“NSW Health supports people decorating their houses, including putting up festive

lights, this Christmas,” the spokeswoman said.

“In recognition of the important role that Christmas celebrations play in the lives of

many Australians, NSW Health is developing guidelines to help people enjoy parties

and gatherings in homes and outside homes in a COVID-safe way.”

The foundation wasn’t immediately available for comment at the time of publication.

Pictured is Lorraine Overton at 7 Mallee street Quakers Hill.

Sydney Childrens’ Hospitals Foundation chief executive, Nicola Stokes, said, “lighting up houses is such an important part of how the community show their support for kids in hospital at Christmas, but the advice we received from the COVID Hotline was that it would be too high-risk this year to go ahead”.

To minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission, people should always:

• Stay home when unwell.

• Ensure 1.5 metres between people from different households.

• Wear a face mask and wash your hands regularly with soap and water if you

are attending an event where it is difficult to physically distance.

• Take hand sanitiser with you.

• Consider viewing Christmas lights from the safety of your car.

• Abide by these rules:

o For events at your home, the maximum number of visitors allowed is 20

people (includes adults, children and babies).

o For events outside in a public area, the maximum number of persons

allowed is 30 people.