Vandals fail to dampen cheer

By Rebecca Fraser
NOTHING can dampen the holiday spirit in the Lewis household in Narre Warren — not even vandals.
Mary and Dave Lewis have transformed their front garden into a Christmas wonderland for the past four festive seasons, but they have also found themselves the targets of vandals.
The couple has also started to transform their home each Halloween and Easter and Mrs Lewis, a retired teacher, said she greatly enjoyed putting smiles on the faces of young children each year.
The home is located near Oatlands Primary School and attracts attention from nearby schoolchildren and passersby, who stop to look at the detailed decorations.
“I like to get into the spirit of the holidays and see the smile on the kids’ faces at the primary school as they walk to and from school,” Mrs Lewis said. “They like stopping and having a look at it, and it also gives me something to do and an outlet for my creativity.”
Mrs Lewis moved to Australia from California four years ago. She said her husband greatly enjoyed their decorating tradition.
“This is something new to my husband, but he really enjoys it and supports me.
“He gets devastated when people do something to destroy it,” she said.
This year the Christmas scene is missing Father Christmas and Mrs Claus is sitting in the front yard by herself. Santa was too damaged to make an appearance this Christmas and will instead return next year in the form of a wooden doll, along with a reworked Mrs Claus.
“They pulled Mr and Mrs Claus’s heads off one year.
During one Halloween, the couple’s straw man was taken and found four blocks away stuck up a tree at a home that was for sale.
The couple has also had people trying to push their fence down — a fence that was especially built to deter the vandals.
They have also installed video surveillance, but Mrs Lewis said these acts would not deter the couple from spreading more Christmas cheer in the community, as they loved the festive season.
She said people involved in these acts of vandalism should be forced to do community service with children, such as conducting reading groups at local primary schools.
“I saw a couple of children cry when they saw Santa’s head had been taken off.
“So these vandals should put smiles back on the faces of children instead of making tears,” she said.