By Louise Taylor
As the Jacaranda trees turn purple and the Halloween pumpkins are turned into soup, my street, Dobbie Place, gets busy with Christmas preparations.
For the past 9 years, I have called Dobbie Place my home, although I’ve been a Glenorie local for almost 20. Living on Dobbie Place, of course, means we residents are all out decking our rooftops and gardens with twinkling lights from the beginning of November in preparation for the 1st of December. My family and I love it, but then we are Christmas tragics!
Over 20 years ago the residents of our cul-de-sac started decorating their houses in preparation for the festive season. Originally it was for their children to enjoy but soon became something for one and all. It began as a small affair until a neighbour brought some decorations back from the USA. Then the competition really began!
Before moving to Dobbie Place, my family and I watched the lights from afar with envy and love. It became a Christmas Eve tradition for our little family to “walk the lights” before Santa arrived. It’s a lovely community event, meeting up with other families from the area and admiring the fantastic display of Christmas lights. I loved watching my children’s eyes gleam as the colours from the lights reflected in their eyes. Our cups were truly full of Christmas cheer!
In 2011, the opportunity arose to buy a house on the street. My husband Mick and I jumped for joy as we were thrilled that we would now be able to contribute to the Christmas Lights tradition, and let our creative juices flow. We have never regretted our decision.
We are blessed with wonderful neighbours, and just a pinch of healthy competition has evolved between us to see who can construct the most spectacular light display. A few years back my husband and our old neighbour Dick would compete with gusto against each other during the winter months, building their own creations that could only be revealed on the 1st of December each year. The winners of these competitions will always be those that come to enjoy our cul-de-sac at Christmas In 2002 Glenorie experienced terrible bushfires, but thankfully, Glenorie RFS literally saved us. That’s when the families of Dobbie Place decided to raise funds for these amazing volunteer firefighters, who support our community so much.
Each year we have a fundraising collection box appropriately adorned with a RFS helmet, in the middle of our cul-de-sac. All donations go directly to Glenorie RFS.
Over time, families have come and gone from Dobbie Place as people do, but we have been able to make some wonderful memories and hope to be able to continue this tradition for some time.
If you find yourself visiting Dobbie Place Christmas lights this year, we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
The lights turn on the 1st of December to the 31st of December, and all are welcome. Merry Christmas!
