KEY POINTS:
Transient John Heremia gets as excited about Christmas now as he did as a youngster growing up in Napier.
"Christmas means a lot to me. The little red man, a time of giving and a time for remembering when I was a kid." The 47-year-old's home for the past seven years has been a spot beneath a bridge on the fringe of Auckland's CBD. Poor health has driven him into temporary accommodation, but he will return to Auckland's streets.
"Some people just find it cool to live on the streets and have no responsibilities. They don't want to deal with landlords. It is addictive and easy to fall into," he says.
Heremia is looking forward to joining 1200-plus people in the Town Hall tomorrow for what's been dubbed the country's biggest Christmas dinner - the Auckland City Mission's annual festive feast.
Despite the poverty and the uncertainty of what tomorrow will bring, not once in two hours does a smile leave Heremia's face. He discounts the suggestion that it is lonely on the streets. "It's a pretty understanding family here, lots of fellowship and company... I pick and choose my mates, and they are all here to support you."
Living rough has given him an experience he "could not have had any other way", he says. Ask about his children, though, and Heremia becomes unsettled. "They don't want anything to do with me." He thinks of making contact but hasn't spoken with them in almost five years. "Merry Christmas to the John Heremia family. I would love to see you one day. I miss your company."
Margaret is also looking forward to tomorrow's free dinner. If you've worked or shopped in central Auckland, you'll be familiar with the city's most prominent street personality. For nearly two decades, Margaret has spent the working day on park benches on Karangahape and Ponsonby roads. Every day, rain or shine, it has been a career of people-watching and asking for cigarettes and cash. She can be seen smiling or heard snarling, depending on the generosity of passers-by. "I've been coming for years because I just like coming here."
Taking frequent swigs from a bottle of South Auckland bottled sherry, she reflects on the meaning of Christmas. "The coming of Christ, a time when you think of your family and wish them the very best." But tomorrow, instead of spending the day with family, she will travel from her Parnell home to the Town Hall.
Margaret last attended the event in December 2000. "The food was good. We had cold meat, small new potatoes, beans and peas. It was very nice, with lots of goose." She says she has no family in Auckland to visit, so the company of those at the dinner will be "nice". She will "probably" be back on Auckland's inner city streets next year and has a Christmas message: "Compliments of the season to you and yours. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year, and remember to take each day as it comes."
Auckland City Missioner Diane Robertson says the invitations have been sent out for tomorrow's dinner, but organisers will "make room" for any extras who turn up. A $20,000 sponsorship deal has been signed with the World Television Cultural and Charitable Trust, which produces a show for Sky.
- HERALD ON SUNDAY
