MacAussies spread festive cheer

Members of the Bunbury MacAussie Social Group are all kilted up and ready to go for their first City of Bunbury Christmas Carnival street parade this Sunday evening.

Picture by David Bailey: Bunbury couple Ellen and John Reid dress up in their Scottish attire in preparation for Sunday’s Christmas Carnival street parade.

Started by Scottish-born Ellen Reid and her husband John, the social group encourages Scottish expats to get together to celebrate their rich heritage.

The group has swiftly grown to about 40 members since its inception late last year.

‘‘I’ve had the idea for a couple of years now and I discussed it with a few people at the Saint Andrews Society in Perth,’’ founder Mrs Reid said.

‘‘We put an ad in the newspaper last year just to see if we could get a few people interested.

‘‘We get together around once a month now.’’

Mrs Reid has been happy with the progress of the group and has been busy with events throughout the year.

‘‘The Ceilidh we held in July was huge, we had Scottish dancers and members of the Saint Andrews Society come down from Perth,’’ she said.

‘‘Our recent Scottish Halloween party attracted all ages from five months to 83 years old.’’

The MacAussies will be dressed in traditional Scottish attire and will be one of a number of new groups attending the parade, along with the Bunbury Roller Derby girls.

The City of Bunbury Christmas Carnival street parade will start at 6.45pm through the streets of the Bunbury CBD.

The parade is the start of a busy month for the MacAussies, with a number of exciting events planned leading up to Hogmanay, the Scottish new year, including a kids’ Christmas picnic at Big Swamp Wildlife Park on Saturday, December 10.

Anyone interested in joining the MacAussie Social Group can contact Ellen Reid on 0410 608 455 or elinski.54@gmail.com.