Anawim celebrates 40th anniversary
Local
There was double reason to celebrate at the annual Anawim dinner hosted by the Clearview Kilburn parish on October 27 – the event’s 40th anniversary and raising more than $165,000 for Catholic Charities.
This year saw $7007 added to the $167,859 raised over the past four decades, money which goes towards helping those in need in the community.
Anawim (a Hebrew word meaning ‘for the poor’) was the brainchild of Fr James Sayers who was the parish priest in 1977.
The event started as a ball held at the Latvian Hall in Wayville, with a bus transporting the 250 parishioners who attended. The following year it moved to Enfield High School and after the Good Shepherd Centre was built in 1980 the format changed to a dinner, which has been held there every year since.
When Good Shepherd Church amalgamated with St Brigid’s in 2004 the dinner became the main social event of the year, with parishioners from both churches and staff from both parish schools attending. It has been generously supported by donations from parishioners and surrounding businesses, ensuring a healthy annual donation to Catholic Charities.
The committee and its helpers has changed many times over the years, but all have contributed a sense of fellowship and fun – and a lot of hard work – to the event.
Every year Anawim has a different theme, with different floorshows provided by the parishioners. A highlight in 2017 was a medley of songs performed by Libby Hughes, Jess Will and Lisa Daley to a PowerPoint presentation honouring the memories and friendships formed since the event began.
At the end of the night parish priest Fr Leon Czechowicz literally ‘got into the act’ and with five other parishioners sang and danced his way through A Couple of Swells and Chorus Line routines produced by parishioner and former dancer Bonita Cook.
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