Canberra choirs deck hospital halls this Christmas

Spending Christmas in hospital as a patient or loved one is a somber experience. Staff should also be spared a thought – giving up time with family and friends to support others in care is no easy feat.

But bringing a hearty dose of Christmas cheer to local hospitals these holidays are passionate groups of local musicians, volunteering their hands and voices across Canberra Health Services.

Choir performances and the volunteer spirit behind them are part of ‘Givemas’ at the Canberra Hospital Foundation (CHF).

Operations manager Amy Agius has worked with CHF for six years. For many of those, her home was right at its heart, in the Donation Station. These days, she makes sure everything behind the scenes runs smoothly.

“We started bringing choirs into Canberra Hospital in 2016,” she said.

“We put some feelers out for performers who would like to volunteer their time and brighten the days of those in care, and were shocked by how many people were more than willing to come along. Their numbers grow each year and we couldn’t be prouder.”

More than 50 performances have been booked across all hospitals in Canberra throughout the holiday season, having started in November. They coincide with CHF’s Christmas Appeal and Adopt-a-Ward program.

“Canberra has an amazing culture of philanthropy and being a smaller city, it’s great to see how it translates into something measurable,” Amy said.

“This Christmas Appeal, we are asking for funds to support clinical trials and medical research in Canberra, speciality equipment, therapeutic and children’s programs, and improvements for away-from-bed areas.”

Adopt-a-Ward started as a way to streamline gift-giving and make sure donors knew where their support would go. Businesses around the ACT can choose to ‘adopt’ a specific area of patient care, for example aged care or paediatrics, and tailor their gifts accordingly.

Acts come in all shapes and sizes, with some choirs and instrumental groups numbering 30 or more, and others as small as five or six.

One such act is the Canberra Men’s Choir. Vice president Kerry Groves joined six years ago and enjoys the magic brought about by their busiest time of year.

“The run-up to Christmas is always busy for us,” he said.

“So far, we have sung Christmas carols at St John’s Church in Reid for close to 80 people and Yarra Rossa retirement village in Red Hill for around 50 residents. We’ve performed at the University of Canberra Hospital as well.”

But the choir doesn’t just bring joy to others – Kerry says there’s a great sense of camaraderie among performers.

“Most of our 45 members are retired or close to retiring, although we do have a few younger guys who keep us on our toes, so I certainly look forward to our weekly rehearsal and working towards a great performance together,” he said.

“It’s also an opportunity for me to give back to my community, which gives me a great sense of fulfilment.

“I get a lot of personal satisfaction from seeing someone smile when they weren’t before.”

Within the Canberra Men’s Choir is a smaller group of 10 who call themselves the choir’s Minstrels. Often performing at smaller gigs around town, they sang at Canberra Hospital in early December, in the main foyer and cancer centre.

“The hospital is quite an intimate setting for music like ours. You get to really get to know the stories of people you’re connecting with and can see the change in them as they leave,” Kerry said.

“We want to bring the holiday spirit to as many people as we can, particularly those who might be doing it a bit tough in one way or another.

“Let’s come together and use music to reflect on the last 12 months, celebrate our successes, and start to heal from our losses before looking forward to a bright future.”

Jump online to follow the Canberra Men’s Choir, donate to Canberra Hospital Foundation’s Christmas Appeal or Adopt-a-Ward this ‘Givemas’.