Kate Walters (née O’Connell) at her first Shepparton Carols by Candlelight in 1989, with godmother Cheryl Phillips.
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This past weekend marked the 50th year of Shepparton’s Carols by Candlelight.
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As always, community members flocked to Queen’s Gardens to enjoy a festive atmosphere and the talents of local performers with friends and family.
The hosts, guest MCs, singers, musicians, dancers, sound and light engineers, and the entire support team put on a show worthy of a big anniversary.
The big man in red made an appearance, children danced in front of the stage as the sun went down, and the event ended with a bang as the crowd ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ at a fireworks display.
This time-honoured tradition is a much-loved annual event for many in Greater Shepparton, including me.
For the first two decades of my life, I didn’t miss a single Shepparton Carols by Candlelight.
I was there as a baby, asleep in my pusher.
As a young kid, I remember the excitement, the magic of the music, the lights.
I remember when we still used real candles, with the cardboard guard to save fingers from hot, dripping wax.
It was an integral part of our family’s yearly traditions, and I have many fond memories of sausages in bread, picnic blankets on the grass, and singing along to all the best-loved holiday songs with my parents, my sister and my friends.
When I moved overseas, my traditions around the holidays changed, and I’ve missed many Carols events over the past decade.
This year, after moving halfway across the world and landing in Shepparton once again, it was special to be able to return to Carols for the first time in a long while on the 50th anniversary.
What made it even more special is the fact that I brought a young family of my own.
One-year-old Malcolm Walters and four-year-old Benjamin Walters enjoy their first Shepparton Carols by Candlelight with their grandmother, Jenny O’Connell.
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Having been raised going to Carols by Candlelight year after year, it was exciting to be able to bring our one- and four-year-old sons for the first time.
Their enthusiasm and awe were infectious.
When I explained to our oldest what Carols was — that we’d be picnicking with his grandparents and singing along to holiday songs — he squealed with delight.
He ran, he played, he sang, he waved his flashing snowflake wand, which more closely resembled a strobe light than a candle, and he fell in love with an event that helped shape my childhood.
Kate Walters celebrates the 50th Shepparton Carols by Candlelight with son Benjamin.
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It’s hard to put my finger on what exactly it is that I love about Carols by Candlelight, and even the Christmas season as a whole.
I’m not a religious person, I don’t particularly love some of the more traditional carols (they’re all too high for my rather low voice), and, let’s face it, many of the holiday songs we sing make no sense at all in countries where Christmas takes place in the summer months.
Still, it’s one of my favourite times of year, and I think it’s because I associate it with family, with starting anew, and with an atmosphere embodied by Carols by Candlelight — full of shared joy, and community coming together.
One-year-old Malcolm Walters enjoys his first Shepparton Carols by Candlelight with his grandfather, Pat O’Connell.
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Not everyone looks forward to the holidays.
This time of year can be complicated for some for so many reasons, including financial stress, the heightened risk of family violence, or a lack of friends or family to celebrate with.
I’m fortunate enough to look forward to this time of year and, for me, the tradition of going to Carols by Candlelight has always been a big part of that.
Returning to Carols this year, I continued a long-standing tradition with my parents and my friends here in town.
I also started a new tradition with my kids, one I hope to continue for many years to come.
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