State puts welcome mat out for Santa
KRISTY SEXTON
December 08, 2002
PREMIER Peter Beattie has urged all childcare centres and kindergartens to let Santa slide down their chimneys.
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Premier Beattie has asked those centres which have chosen not to recognise Santa to "please review their decision".
"I'll be leaving a coldie and a bit of cake out for him on Christmas night and hope that he leaves me something nice he always has and I hope he always will," he said.
"While there might be differing views as to Santa and his role, it would be cruel to many, especially the young, not to recognise the popular guy in the red suit."
Australian Federation of Islamic Councils spokesman Kuranda Seyit said the Muslim community had "no qualms over Santa".
"Santa is a tradition and part of the Australian way of life children grow up with it, it is harmless," Mr Seyit said.
"Australia is a multi-faceted community and it would be unreasonable to change Australian customs."
At the Fuji International Kindergarten at Robina on the Gold Coast, children with Muslim, Seventh-Day Adventist and Jehovah's Witness backgrounds will celebrate Christmas with a visit from Santa at the end-of-year party on Wednesday.
The kindergarten is Japanese-owned and managing director Ditas Salmorin is from the Philippines.
"Our children are taught to respect all beliefs and religions," she said.
The issue has raged on television and talkback radio, with many people saying that banning Santa would only fuel the fires of racial intolerance.
Despite this, childcare centres across the state are still considering banning Santa.
In Toowoomba, at least two centres have crossed St Nick's name off their end-of-year party list.
Maridahdi Early Childhood Community Centre director Louis Bradfield confirmed the centre had excluded Santa from its end-of-year celebrations for the 14th consecutive year.
"We are not anti-Christmas," Mr Bradfield said.
"We just think Christmas is a good opportunity for families to spend time together and celebrate in any way that they want to."
The director of Toowoomba-based Glenvale Early Childhood and Preschool, Sylvia Bunk has also excluded Santa.
"We are not against it, but we don't push it either," Ms Bunk said. "We are open to how the children want to do it."
The Sunday Mail is standing by its report on the banning of Santa from a Brisbane childcare centre.
The director of the Mt Gravatt West Community Childcare Centre, Marilyn Beale, said on national television this week that she had been misquoted and misinterpreted in the article.
The editor of The Sunday Mail, Michael Prain, said the newspaper stood by the article. "Ms Beale's comments were accurately reported," he said.
The Sunday Mail (Qld)
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,5635688%255E2765,00.html