Celebration as a Christmas cracker

This December, the town of Buninyong will be getting into the Christmas spirit with the help of a donation from the State Government.

MP for Eureka, Michaela Settle, was at the Buninyong Men's Shed on Tuesday to announce a $28,000 grant from the Tiny Towns Fund.

The annual Buninyong Christmas Festival brings local people together both through its organisation and the event itself, and Ms Settle said that was what made it special.

“It's really about bringing the community together and I think what's special about this project is not only that the outcome brings everyone together for this fabulous Christmas, but that its implementation is a community effort,” she said.

“The Men's Shed will be building many of the secret shapes that you will see around Buninyong, but of course this will also be driven by Buninyong Community Events Inc.”

The event includes 12 dioramas built by Men's Shed members and decorated by local artists, as well as a community treasure map and a Christmas box.

There will also be a shopping night, a village Christmas market, Christmas carols and a visit from Santa Claus and his elves.

“Buninyong Community Events is all about bringing the community together, and this particular project involves so many different groups,” said Lisa Cressey, President of Buninyong Community Events Inc.

“There are many different small components for many age groups.”

Ross Hellman, vice president of Buninyong Men's Shed, said it was crucial to keep organisations like this alive.

“We always help at Christmas time. If you saw the elves at that time, we built them,” he said.

“There are people who donate a lot of things to us, and we help a lot of older ladies who might want to get something repaired.”