Darwin’s Special Children’s Christmas Party in pictures 2023
Hundreds desceneded on the Darwin Convention Centre for a fun-filled day featuring dancing, cars, bouncing castles and more. SEE THE PHOTOS.
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Puppet shows, racing cars, reptiles, and a bouncing castle were among the weekend highlights for more than 400 Top End children.
On Saturday, the Darwin Convention Centre hosted the Special Children’s Christmas Party, dedicated to supporting children with life threatening illnesses, physical or intellectual disabilities.
Event coordinator Jackie Sanders, a veteran of the tradition, said the party was about creating “lasting memories”.
“You never know what’s around the corner for these families so it’s a chance for them to just be themselves, the (kids) get two or three beautiful presents and sometimes the only thing bigger than their smiles are their bag of toys they get to take away,” she said.
“And the kids are included, it’s just an amazing day.”
Assisting with the event were members of the SES, Australian Army, Police, Fire and Emergency Services and many more.
Ms Sanders said events like hers were rare opportunities to have fun for some of the families.
“The kids may not look the same as other kids, but they’re still kids,” she said.
“A lot of these families are battling everyday as well and we just want to give them a chance to have a smile and nobody’s going to judge them.”
Ms Sanders said the event, pushing three decades old, had made generational impact.
“We’ve even had kids that have come back after they’ve had their own families,” she said.
“So I’ve seen them grow.”
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