The Maffra Christmas Lights Family

Words by Ken Roberts | Photos Kindly supplied

I’m sure when Dean and Cindy Rowley of Maffra first put Christmas lights on their house in Maffra in 2007 they had no idea what they were starting! Their lighting display has almost become synonymous with Christmas in the town (and beyond) and has become a must do thing for many, especially those with children.

When the Rowley family moved to the outskirts of Maffra on acreage, they continued the tradition they started but on a bigger canvas. They really enjoyed doing it and friends would make the short drive down the gravel road and up their tree lined drive to see the yearly display. People were so impressed as the displays grew each year and wanted to thank Dean and Cindy by giving them a donation. This was not something they wanted at all, they did it for the pure pleasure of seeing their kids and others enjoy the displays. As more people heard of the lights and the crowds began to get bigger, and donations continued, they decided they would donate whatever monies they received to a charity.

Cindy experienced the tragedy of a loved one taking their own life in the loss of her brother Ron Molden aged 27 in 2007. They decided to donate whatever they received to Beyond Blue, an organisation that is there to help all people in Australia achieve their best possible mental health. Two in five people experience a mental health condition at some point in their life.

Beyond Blue has several different streams of support and programs, and more than 750 people usually reach out to their services daily. Donations received help ensure that every call, webchat and email are answered. Once they joined up with Beyond Blue, Cindy and Dean realised how special it would be to honour Ron’s life in such a positive way. They could also make it a personal Christmas remembrance of him. This spurred them onto much greater things!

Each year their display grew and grew, all self funded, and from the first of December until Christmas night they open their property to visitors. The preparation for this extravaganza is massive. The build up starts over two months prior as they slowly set up each area. They are fastidious in how it is set out. The different areas they have include the inflatable enclosure with Santa chair for family photos, the forest, the aviation wall, vehicle scene, the manger, there’s also a bush scene, water scene, snow area, driveway avenue, Christmas tree display inside, acrylics scene, reindeer garden, a Christmas light windmill, plus more.

All the equipment is checked and after so many years they have a routine of how it’s done. They receive a lot of help from friends and family; a friend’s large tractor is enlisted to erect the large light structure in the middle island of their drive. Community support is great with a large donated Christmas tree, gifts of lights, a family sponsoring the candy canes they hand out each night and Bunnings donating cable ties to attach everything.