The children and families who lived on the Trans-Australian Railway lived in some of the most remote communities in the nation. The organisation of annual Christmas gifts and events was one of the ways the Commonwealth Railways sought to address this isolation. For many, it was the highlight of the year.

The Sunburnt Santa

Alf Harris grew up in Lyons, Western Australia, and like his father worked for the Commonwealth Railways all his life, eventually becoming an engine driver. Harris became known as the 'Sunburnt Santa' or 'Santa of the Nullarbor'. Beginning in 1959, he played the role of Father Christmas, visiting communities along the line each year for 36 years. By 1972 Alf had a special carriage on the Tea and Sugar train decked out as Santa's cave. In 1990 he received an Order of Australia Medal for services to children in remote and isolated areas.

With the compliments of the Commissioner

This tradition of the Railways bringing Christmas cheer to the camps and towns along the line did not start with Harris. It started in the late 1920s.

In 1928 a gift of an East West Railway game was distributed to children for Christmas with the compliments of Commissioner Norris Bell. At this time there were around 85 children aged between 9 and 15 living on the Trans-Australian and Central Australia lines.

In 1934, as in most years, Christmas Cake was distributed to families in localities where other festivities had not been organised, and to the Committee organising festivities in places such as Kingoonya, Ooldea and Cook.

Unfortunately in 1942 due to rationing and the shortage of sweets no Christmas gifts were distributed.

As near to an inferno as I ever care to be

The organisers of Santa's visit had to contend with a number of challenges, such as the heat, dust and the distances between stops. Sometimes things just didn’t go according to plan, although they were always well received. W J Crowe reported on his trip as Father Christmas 'in full regalia' from Port Augusta to Cook in December 1957. 310 children were served sweets and cake, except for those in Ooldea and Immarna, where a note and gifts were left with the Ganger because the train did not arrive until after 3 am. They also visited the Hostel at Tarcoola and Hospital at Cook. The trip was 'an endurance test due to the heatwave and slow running of the train which was as 'near to an inferno as I ever care to be'. Crowe added as a postscript, the 'trip would not have been possible without the able assistance of my wife.'

Train driver W McConnal volunteered for the Father Christmas role in 1960, and reported: 

Once again Father Christmas was met with loud cheers and to the singing of Carols. It would be a big help to this trip if it could be run a week earlier or put on a timetable so as to reach the children in daylight and not earlier in the morning, the object of this trip is broken down by Father Christmas having to give the gifts to the parents and not the children.

Thank you for your kindness

The national collection contains many letters expressing the appreciation communities felt at the efforts of the Railways to bring some Christmas cheer.

This letter from Mary Hill of 946 Mile camp in 1928 thanked the Welfare Officer, Mr Wilkinson, for the book she received and provided him with an update on her piano playing prowess:

Similarly, this letter from Shirley Rosewall in 1938 thanked the Commissioner on behalf of the children of Cook for the gift of sweets and cake that helped make their Christmas Party a great success. One suspects the adults were just as appreciative!

R A Hewson, the headteacher of Reid, wrote this letter of thanks in 1961:

On behalf of the people of Reid, I do sincerely wish to thank you for the wonderful Christmas surprise, in the way of a 'Father Christmas' and excellent Christmas gifts, given to the children of this camp recently, by your Department. The gifts provided were of an excellent quality and the sweets and balloons really appreciated. The children in a camp of this nature, do not receive much of anything most of the time, and their pleasure at the surprise would have been some compensation for the time, expense and effort put out by your Department, had you been here to witness it.

Compliments of the Season

A selection of Christmas cards from the Commonwealth Railways, 1927 to 1970.