Canterbury’s staff Christmas party was a slightly different affair this year with the Club booking out the entire venue of the converted industrial warehouse café and restaurant, The Grounds of Alexandria.
It was a special evening – the mood was set early on in the night with the rustic and industrial feeling of the venue brightly lit with hundreds of candles and thousands of fairy lights decorating the organic gardens full of vegetables, edibles flowers, herbs and fresh fruit.
Roughly 300 staff members and their guests attended the twinkling event and everyone was dressed to impress. There was something for everyone that night from the beautiful lush scenery with hidden nooks and crannies to sit, bountiful tables of food and drinks, a DJ ripping up the dance floor, entertainment provided by ex-Australian Idol and X Factor contestants, Josesph Gatehau and Mel Moala-Kami, and even a massive live pig called Kevin Bacon as part of The Grounds kids’ farm animal display.
The night was made more memorable as all ticket sales, totalling $3,470, was donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation in memory of long-time staff member, Rangi Troy, who passed away in the middle of the year after her bout with cancer. Her husband, Brian Troy, was there on the night to thank the staff in a heartfelt speech for their kindness and generosity towards Rangi and their family during their tough times.
The coveted staff awards were also given out on the night with Carly Brown (Food & Beverage) taking out the Kevin Stewart Trainer of the Year prize. For Employees of the Year, Maurice Rahme (Security & Surveillance), Lewis Lu (Gaming) and Ademson Masangcay (Food & Beverage) won third, second and first place respectively. Ademson was immensely thrilled when his name was called out and was extremely jubilant to receive recognition of his hard work as well as his cash prize of $5,000 for taking out top place.
“It was such a pleasure to be celebrating an early Christmas with all the staff in such a memorable venue – it was a really a wonderful night. This is just one way Canterbury likes to give back to our employees for their hard work and dedication throughout the year. Thank you also to the organisers for pulling off a successful night for everyone,” said Dave Brace, Chief Executive Officer of Canterbury League Club.
