CFA to draw Santa’s sleigh

WITH Christmas almost here, Lethbridge is set to greet a special visitor this evening with the big red man to take a ride on the local brigade’s big red truck.

Santa Claus himself will stop off at 11 spots across town with a sackful of lollies to hand out to children.

Lethbridge CFA Captain Matthew Jury said the drive, which will start at 5pm, is about bringing festive joy to the community.

“We’ll have our spots marked with some sort of Christmas decorations and families can wander down to them, see Santa, and get some lollies,” he said.

“We’ll have the fire truck decorated with tinsel, the sirens going and everything to get the kids out and excited.

“It’s a bit of exposure for the CFA but something for the community we love to do each year.”

Starting from Millar Road, Santa will travel down English Road before heading east along Quarry and Goggin roads, then down the Midland Highway and back up via Sutherland Street, passing the cemetery and general store and finishing at the fire station.

As part of the drive, a free community barbecue will take place at around 5.30pm at the town’s fire station where an information session will also be held to give attendees safety tips surrounding the current fire season.

A Lethbridge brigade member for nearly three decades, Captain Jury estimated the group’s been holding their annual Santa drives for about 10 years.

He said he never gets tired of seeing the looks on the children’s faces.

“It’s the excitement on their faces,” he said. “They’re getting lollies and they get to see Santa and it’s a nice community-type thing for us to do.

“We’ve added some new stops over the years depending on where the kids are. The new estate’s been dropped in there and I’m sure there’ll be more stops to do next year.”

Santa’s route can be found at the Lethbridge Fire Brigade’s Facebook page.