Fifty years of Christmas cheer

THE Rotary Club of Bendigo’s annual Carols by Candlelight will return to Rosalind Park on Sunday, 19 December from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.

This year will mark the 50th concert hosted by the community organisation and president Tom Dobeli said he was excited to see it back in full swing.

“To Rotary, this is a community service,” he said.

“It would be our second biggest project for the year… the Carols involves most of the Rotarians.”

A record breaking 7000 people attended the concert in 2019, with the festive celebration cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the club is still busily planning the family friendly event, a range of talented local acts have already been confirmed.

Soprano star Merlyn Quaife will return to the stage, as well as performers Dan Sexton and Luke Gallagher.

The City of Greater Bendigo Brass Band and Bendigo Youth Choir are also locked in for some festive tunes.

Gold coin donations will be accepted upon entry to the event to go to UsherKids Australia, a charity supporting children with Usher syndrome, a genetic condition that causes hearing and vision loss.

Mr Dobeli said he hoped the Carols would kick start a better year for the Bendigo community.

“It’s great to have people in Bendigo able to start Christmas off on a positive note. We’ve had 18 months of negatives, and this will be a positive,” he said.

“Hopefully families can get together over Christmas and enjoy the season.”