Bright idea pays off in big way

By Sarah Schwager
A CRANBOURNE family has turned a yearly Christmas event into a charity-giving mission.
Each year Colin and Faye Kerr, who live in the Hunt Club, and their children decorate their house in Christmas lights and enter the estate’s competition.
This year they decided if they won they would donate their prize to charity.
After coming second in the annual competition the family decided they would donate their $250 prize to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Once word spread, the neighbourhood also decided to follow suit with first prize winner Joanne Spencer also donating her $500 prize.
The group winners – the best street – in which the Kerr family was also involved, also donated their $500.
“Ronald McDonald House do so much for kids, not just for sick kids but they also do the bush to beach getaway where they take kids from the drought-stricken country to the beach,” Mr Kerr said.
“We are trying to teach our kids that while we’re well off there are some kids that need our help.”
He said after deciding to donate the money he was surprised by how the community reacted.
“We get three or four people a night saying thankyou very much,” Mr Kerr said.
“One night a policeman on duty drove past and said they had to live at Ronald McDonald House for the first six weeks of their son’s life.”
The Kerrs decided to put a box outside their house so that when people came to see the lights they might also donate for the charity.
From Saturday to Monday they had already received $160, bringing their total to over $1250.
And the family’s lights display is certainly a brilliant sight.
It includes a nativity scene in the garage, a Santa theme through the front windows and fairy lights covering the house and roof.
Mr Kerr said while he and his wife had designed the theme, their kids who were still at home, aged 9, 10, 15 and 16, had done all the labour including the windows, chimney scene, handmade everything, cut and painted and decorated the roof.
Mr Kerr has a fractured vertebra and said he was very proud of the kids.
“It was a whole family effort,” he said.
He said he was so pleased to see people get behind the fundraising and into the Christmas spirit.
“Last year three people in the street did the lights, this year there were eight.
“One guy moved into his house, a rental property, in the first week in December and he put lights up after three days of moving in.”
If anyone wants to see the house or to donate to the family’s cause, come down to 2 Fetlock Lane between 7 or 8pm until 11.30pm and sometimes later on weekends.