Toy appeal gets off to slow start

Russell Ross spends his free time throughout the year making sure every child has a toy come Christmas time. Photo / Michael Cunningham

After breakfast Russell Ross heads to his Whangarei garage to begin a day's work at his "retirement job", a gig that pays only in good feelings.

Mr Ross has created thousands of handmade wooden toys for Northland children over the last five years, which are distributed at Christmas time through Whangarei Lions Toy Appeal - a cause struggling for donations this year.

"I've always felt no child should go without a toy at Christmas," Mr Ross, who has been involved with the appeal for more than 25 years, said.

Spending time almost every day on the ongoing project, Mr Ross said he can't even begin to venture a guess on the total number of toys he has created. He usually makes them in batches of 20 to 30 and suspects he caught the woodwork bug from his carpenter father.

"I worked in concrete but have always had an interest in wood [and] doing something I could see finished. It gives me a lot of satisfaction."

Mr Ross's garage is lined with dolls in colourful wooden prams, as well as hundreds of vibrant wooden cars and helicopters. Mr Ross and his wife fund the materials themselves, including dolls bought to complement them - "there's no use giving a kid a pram without a doll".

But Kamo's answer to Santa's Helper is humble about his tireless work.

"This is just something I do, in the time I have to spare. I have breakfast then I come down. It makes me feel happy to think the kids are better off."

Mr Ross is also integral to organising the toy appeal, but said it is down to a "dedicated team".

The appeal distributes toys, books and puzzles to 10 to 15 charities, though donations have been slow coming in this year.

"We started several weeks ago. Normally by this time we would have a swag of stuff, but it's been slow."

Good quality toys can be dropped at Whangarei Central Library until December 15, with the toys distributed on December 16.