Fishheads’ Christmas feast for the homeless

BYRON Bay’s homeless population won’t be forgotten on Christmas Day, with Fishheads restaurant offering a buffet seafood lunch for those who have fallen on hard times.

Around 150 people are expected to attend the lunch, which will feature prawns, fish and salt and pepper squid.

“Staff prepare salads the day before then volunteers prepare the rest of the food and my mate and I get behind the barbecue,” said Fishheads owner Ralph Mamone, who has been offering the lunch for around six years.

“I just got the idea in my head one day and asked my suppliers to help me out and give me some donations,” he said. “The idea came about because I wanted to do a lunch for my staff because a lot of them are from overseas or interstate, so they don’t have family here.”

From there, the concept expanded to include people doing it tough.

“I see homeless people every day and a lot of people treat them as second rate and turn away from them,” Mamone said.

“That annoys me a little bit because they are normal people who are struggling and may have mental health or drug issues.

“I’ve known businesspeople who have gone through divorces and had mental health issues and ended up on the streets.”

The lunch for homeless people runs from 11am to 2pm and is either held around Byron Bay Memorial Swimming Pool or inside Byron Bay Surf Club, depending on the weather.

“If I opened on Christmas Day I could make a small fortune, but I don’t really want to put my staff to work on Christmas Day and there are a lot of people struggling in the community and we need to support them,” Mamone said.

“Christmas is not about a particular religion or custom – it’s about helping each other out as human beings.”