Gold Coast personalities from Tom Tate to Peta ‘Spida’ Everitt have shared the fondest Christmas memories
From backyard slip’n’slides to gobbling two turkeys, Gold Coast personalities share their favourite Christmas memories. See here
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From backyard slip’n’slides to gobbling two turkeys, Gold Coast personalities share their favourite Christmas memories:
Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt – Triple M Gold Coast
“Every Christmas Eve was spent at my grandparents’ home and before we received our presents everyone under 14 had to sing a song or recite a poem. Then Santa would give us $5 for every ‘A’ we got at school. Let’s just say every child except my cousin Sasha and I got the money.”
Eva Milic – Channel 9 Gold Coast
“My favourite Christmas ever was just last year. We hosted a beautiful family lunch with 23 of our nearest and dearest. I felt so fortunate to have my four grandparents, parents, nephews, nieces, aunties, uncles, in-laws and a few pooches too. It was busy, loud and lively and so special. To me, that’s exactly what Christmas is all about.”
Thea Jeanes-Cochrane – Entertainment producer
“On Christmas Eve when I was a teenager my father Bruce wanted to go up to Jumpinpin so the family took off in his boat. It was getting late and he was going flat out to get there before dark. It was a case of less haste more speed as we ran aground on some mud flats that he hadn’t seen. The tide was going out so we were stuck there and we couldn’t even eat at the table because the boat was on its side. Every boat that went past had a good laugh at our predicament To make it worse Christmas Eve is my birthday and then he woke us up at 3am when the tide was high to guide him off the mud with us paddling our surf skis in front.”
Annastacia Palaszczuk – Premier of Queensland
“The Christmas gifts that stand out are my best memory from when I was young and in primary school. Getting my first bike was very special but my favourite was the year my sister and I got surf mats. We had so much fun floating around on Tallebudgera Creek enjoying the holidays.”
Professor Mark von Itzstein AO – Director of Institute for Glycomics
“While I have many fun memories of Christmases gone, one of my most memorable was my first on the Gold Coast in 2000. I was able to enjoy a family gathering with my siblings, extended family and elderly father. It still holds a very special place in my heart.”
Charlotte Cush – Miss Galaxy Australia 2022
“Mine is from when I was a teenager. As usual it was a super-hot day so we got a really long black tarpaulin set up in the backyard. Then we covered it in dish washing liquid and ran a hose over it to create this big slip’n’slide. My five siblings and I then had a big run up and would hurl ourselves down the hill, covered in soap, at a blistering pace. Everyone got involved, even our parents. I can’t remember laughing so hard and all the bruises I had the next day were totally worth it.”
Carlotta – Showbiz legend
“I’ve always had huge Christmas party lunches. One year someone decided to bring along another cooked turkey well after the lunch had finished. After about 30 minutes I wondered why everyone was laughing so much. The new turkey had that funny weed in the stuffing. Probably why the second turkey got finished too.”
Matt Hollywood – Master illusionist
“My favourite memory was visiting my grandparents’ house as a child. There was always an amazing tree, lights and decorations everywhere and presents galore. They kept the magic of Christmas alive for years with their efforts. I now have four children and my wife and I love bringing that same sense of awe and excitement to our house. Creating wonderful memories is the best gift of all.”
Amanda Abate – Channel 7 Gold Coast
“Last Christmas was my first as a mum and while I loved the festive season as a kid, it’s even more magical sharing it with my little ones.”
Kate Madison – Bumbles cafe
“My favourite memory is from 15 years ago when my son was little. We had friends from Melbourne over and after a big, long, long lunch everyone fell asleep on the sofas or the floor. Big time food coma! I thought it was the ultimate compliment that they had enjoyed a great time and could be that comfortable.”
Bikash Randhawa – COO Village Roadshow Theme Parks
“Christmas for years has always been about making sure the in-house guests were having a great time and making it a special day for my team who have to work on Christmas. To see so many happy families having a great time made it all worthwhile. Now I can get the chance to spend the day with my wife and family and pretty much do nothing except cook at the BBQ and then watch it get destroyed in seconds.”
Tom Tate – Gold Coast Mayor
“It’s my favourite time of the year because it’s a great time to unwind and spend more time with our growing family. I love having everyone together and being part of whatever crazy game, or party trick, someone thinks up. Best of all, it’s my turn in charge of the tricks this year so they better be prepared for what I have planned.’’
Portia Large – PR and Media Consultant
“My most memorable Christmas was when I discovered the similarities between Santa’s handwriting and that of my mother. What aroused my suspicions was that Mum and Santa used the same wrapping paper. Then I knew that ‘Ho! Ho! Ho!’ was a hoax.”
Belinda Dawes – General Manager Gold Coast Bulletin
“It was when my daughter Ruby was just six months old and had her first Santa photo. She looked so angelic in her dress that I was in tears. However when I went to get her from Santa we didn’t realise she had a firm grip on his beard and let’s just say Santa had tears in his eyes too. Nothing fake about this Santa, she had a grip on his real beard.”
Sue Porrett – Entertainment entrepreneur
“One of my absolute favourite memories to date was when we decided not to do the normal family lunch – instead take off on a Pacific Cruise. We left a few days before Christmas and once we were unpacked we then spent 10 days in glorious weather being waited on including a seafood extravaganza Christmas Day at sea. It was absolutely one of the most memorable and fun family Christmases for us!”
Donna Gates – Gold Coast Deputy Mayor
“One of my favourite Christmas memories was a magical holiday as a child in Surfers Paradise. The entire family stayed at the High Surf Motel and I learnt to dive in the swimming pool. There were visits to Lennon’s Hotel and I recall dancing on the stage by the pool with Denise Keene and the Māori Hakkas. They then invited me to dance in a cage at the Chevron Hotel and my parents surprisingly said ‘Yes’! I was just eight years old so a bit young to be a cage dancer. Although how Santa found us when we were so far from home was a big mystery. It was the start of my love for this incredible city.”
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