ILLUMINATIONS AT CHRISTMAS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29699, 18 December 1961, Page 23

ILLUMINATIONS AT CHRISTMAS

Mr R. H. Stillwell’s Garden For the sixth year in succession, Mr R. H. Stillwell is inviting members of the public to visit his home at 70 Selwyn street to view the Christmas illuminations in his house and garden. Hundreds of coloured lights every evening until New Year’s Eve will silhouette the big tree, windows, pergola, and shrubs in Mr Stillwell’s garden. An Bft x Bft crib outlined in lights, a ’Bethlehem” star, and Father Christmas about to go down the chimney are features of the illuminations this year. The lights will go on at 830 p.m. From Saturday, December 23, Mr Stillwell will show film programmes on a big screen in his “Garden of Goodwill." On New Year's Eve, a pipe band will be present. Last New Year’s Eve some 1600 persons called to see the illuminations, said Mr Stillwell yesterday. This year, he said, he had had visits from several classes from neighbouring schools and had shown them his large collection of mechanical toys Every child in primer 2 at Somerfield School wrote him a letter of thanks. Asked how he began his novel idea of celebrating the Christmas-New Year period. Mr Stillwell said that he was in the show business until he retired in 1955. “I had 36 bright Christmases in show business. Christmas in 1955 seemed so dull, after my retirement, that I was determined to brighten up my next Christmas. “It was really to have a bright Christmas for myself; the fact that I have since given Christmas pleasure to tens of thousands of others beside myself is really only incidental to brightening up my own Christmas. Now 1 get as much joy from giving other people a bright Christmas.” Mr Stillwell has his own film library, and new companies and organisations contribute films for his garden showings. He can get more than 200 children in his garden for a film showing and hundreds of persons can watch from the footpath and street. No charge is made and all are welcome, he said.