IT was a day filled with fun and festivities for residents from the Association for the Aged (TAFTA) John Conradie House as they were treated to a Christmas party by the Umhlanga Ski-Boat Club.

There was a spirit of generosity, music and a surprise appearance from Father Christmas that brought smiles to the faces of all those involved.

Organiser and member of the club Rene Pheasant explained they had hosted residents at their clubhouse for the last decade.

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“We are passionate about giving back, and it is an event we, as a ski-boat club, look forward to hosting. Even at the height of the pandemic, we actually travelled to the home to give out gifts of appreciation and spend time with the residents. The responses from them have been heartwarming, and really, we want the residents to know we care. It’s just inspiring to see how grateful our members are and the volunteers who’ve made the day a resounding success,” Rene said.

Rahida Hassan, a TAFTA staff member at John Conradie House, explained that many of the residents had looked forward to the party all year.

“In the last three to four month,s we’ve had so many questions about when the big day is. We are just so thankful to the Umhlanga Ski-Boat Club team and all those involved. The residents were overjoyed with the party, and they will be talking about it for weeks to come. In fact, when the bus came to collect the residents, there was so much enthusiasm and joy. If I could compare the excitement level, it would be akin to a little child ready to leave on one of their annual excursions,” she said.

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TAFTA resident Sally van Rooyen said she was grateful for an opportunity to let her hair down.

“It is so nice to see everyone smiling. I think it’s also been a great opportunity to let our hair down on a magical day,” she said.

Her words were echoed by fellow resident Favourite Mbatha.

“It was a wonderful day. I know the people behind the scenes worked very hard to make this possible, and we are so grateful. We also enjoyed the visit from Santa.”

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