The Dennington community has come to the rescue to save a coveted Christmas tradition feared lost following the closure of the Dennington Fonterra factory last month.
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For 89 years Fonterra workers visited the Warrnambool Base Hospital with their own Santa Claus every year before Christmas to lift patients' spirits.
The tradition was originally started by Nestle in 1930 and was continued on by Fonterra when it took over the Dennington site in 2005.
But with no more Fonterra in the town, it meant no more Santa Claus. That was an outcome Dennington Community Association president John Harris was not going to stand for.
He has vowed to continue the work and keep the festive tradition alive.
"It's such a wonderful thing and we are going to put the recommendation to the group that we take it on next year," he said.
"It's been running for 89 years and we've got a proud 150 years running as a community group in Dennington. Our group is strong and active, why wouldn't we take it on?
"Santa said he would do it again next year and the Holiday Actors said they'd do the same.
"Even if we have to do a barbecue to raise the funds I'm more than confident we'll be able to do it."
Fonterra's Phil Parkes said the last Fonterra Santa visit on Tuesday night was an emotional one.
"This year is difficult for us following the factory shutdown two weeks ago," he said.
"We were going to disband it but we got the support from the Holiday Actors and our Santa who has been with us for numerous years and we pulled it together.
"There was talk of the Cobden Fonterra factory taking it over but it wouldn't be the same, the factory was a Dennington icon and we wanted the community to take it on."
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