On a surprisingly cool Christmas Day in 2025, the spirit of community burned brightly in the Illawarra suburb of Berkeley. Volunteers gathered at Holborn Park to host a free barbecue, ensuring that nobody in the area had to spend the festive season without a warm meal and friendly company.
A Beacon of Hope on Christmas Day
The event was the brainchild of the Beacon of Hope Project, a lived-experience organisation founded by Samantha Bruce just a few months prior in September. With a team of about eight volunteers, the project's mission is to use "pain for purpose," creating peer-led activities that directly address feelings of isolation.
"We're hosting a free community barbecue today because it's Christmas, and no one deserves to be alone," Ms Bruce stated, highlighting the core motivation behind the gathering. She pointed to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis as a key reason for providing a festive and inclusive environment where people could celebrate without financial or social pressure.
Community Support Fuels the Festive Feast
The volunteers were well-prepared to welcome the community, with plans to cook more than 100 sausages on the grill. Their efforts were bolstered by generous local donations, including bread from Warrawong's Baker's Delight and cakes from the Fairy Meadow Cheesecake Shop. This support underscored the collective nature of the day's mission.
Ms Bruce explained that Christmas can be a difficult time for many people, each in their own way. The barbecue aimed to create a tangible space where individuals could feel "included and feel safe." She posed a poignant question reflective of the event's ethos: "Christmas should be a happy day for everyone... why do we have to live in a world where everyone has to be so isolated?"
Filling a Gap with Lived Experience
The Beacon of Hope Project operates on the principle that traditional systems and services often fail to meet actual community needs. By drawing on lived experience, Ms Bruce and her team seek to create genuine connections and practical support.
"It's about actually meeting what people do need," she said, describing the barbecue as a simple yet powerful act of bringing people together to form a collective. The event served as a practical example of the organisation's goal to ensure nobody felt the sting of loneliness on a day meant for togetherness.
By transforming Holborn Park into a hub of conversation and shared meals, the volunteers successfully delivered on their promise of a community Christmas, proving that sometimes the greatest gift is simply ensuring no one is left behind.
