Dampier Community Association wraps up 50th year with Christmas celebrations

The Dampier Community Association has wrapped up a year of 50th anniversary celebrations with a weekend of festive season frivolity.

The celebrations kicked off on Friday night with a screening of A Christmas Carol and continued on Saturday with the Twilight Christmas Markets.

Local businesses had stalls showcasing their wares, food trucks kept the crowds fed, inflatable games kept children entertained and band Abbasalutely had everyone dancing late in to the night.

DCA president Gill Furlong said the weekend celebrated everything that makes Dampier a fantastic place to live and work.

“The movie on Friday was such a nice, simple way to start and the markets on Saturday wouldn’t have been complete without a tribute to Red Dog,” she said.

The Mangy Mutt Show saw pooches from Dampier compete for treats for the best trick, the best wagging tail, best paw shake and best dressed, among other categories. DCA had made 11 boards — each one ran through five years of the organisation’s history and celebrated all they had achieved in half a decade of serving the community.

“The most important part was the estimated 50,000 volunteer hours, which is huge considering that’s a very conservative guess,” Ms Furlong said.

“We’ve been running since 1968, so it’s not just about the commitment of the current committee but a celebration of every single person who has ever been involved.”

DCA will be back in 2019 with more ideas, more events and always upholding the old saying of, “it takes a village”.

“In Dampier it’s all about the people ... your community becomes your family and here in particular, we look after each other,” Ms Furlong said.