Wilhelm Philipp

Saving Santa

For the last 18 years, Neale has served the community as a Santa Claus, spreading peace and goodwill to thousands of children, adults and families around Melbourne. Throughout his life, Neale has always been one to give back to the world and spread his magic as Santa. He is a true gentleman with a caring soul, a marvellous smile and a huge passion for life. When he isn’t working he takes care of his sick wife Ingrid who is currently in hospital.

Recently Neale and Ingrid have fallen on hard times, the pandemic cut off any possibility for Neale to work as a Santa and Ingrid’s declining health circumstances worsened to a degree where Neale could no longer look after her on his own, which forced her to be in and out of hospital, where she has been now for the last 13 weeks. The couple were then hit with the news that the home they had been renting on Elgar Road for the last 17 years was going to be demolished to make way for townhouses and they would need to find a new residence. With Neale being out of work and Ingrid in hospital there is no current way for them to be able to find appropriate and safe accommodation to live in on their own. Luckily, their kind friend Amy has set up a Go Fund Me donation to help them with a fresh start. They’re halfway to their target and it would mean a lot if we could get them closer to their goal. Without the generous support of donations, they would be out on the street. The money raised will go towards safer, stable housing and medical equipment to furnish their new home.

This series details the story of Neale the Santa, a man who has devoted his life to giving the magic of Christmas to others and now deserves to have that same love received back.

“The common thread of humanity through all of this uncertainly overcomes any of the differences. Rich, poor, the successful or unsuccessful, the sick or the not sick. The pure magic of life itself is what keeps me going. It’s that simple.”

If you have a spare dollar and would like to donate towards the fundraiser please click the link here.

The Magic Of Santa

Neale was born an orphan in 1942, a WWII baby without any history of his biological family. He was later adopted and lived a happy life as a child with his new family, Neale recalls the times of working on different boats with his stepfather as part of his childhood.

A handyman of many talents, Neale has worked as a jack of all trades with a love for working with his hands on boats and ferries. He has also been a radio host, voice-over artist, a spruiker, a marriage celebrant, he has even held and performed in his own plays. His most decorated and recent gig has been that of a Santa Claus

For Neale, this become one of the best gigs he has ever been offered which began around 18 years ago. His first experience as a Santa saw him travel to Templestowe, Santering for a family Christmas Party.

“It was the first serious lesson I got as a Santa. A young couple came up to me with their baby and said “Santa do you mind holding our baby for a photo?” I said “Not at all ho ho ho…” and they said, “this is so important to her, this will be her first and last Christmas, she is sick and will not live for another year.” All of a sudden there was some depth to Jingle Bells or Merry Christmas that really made my hairs stand up on the back of my neck, I was almost crying of course.”

This experience made Neale realise how important the role of Santa was to families and was thrilled with the ability to share his message of peace and goodwill to all. He eventually worked his way up to the bigger venues like Crown Casino and Myer’s on Bourke Street, which is arguably the holy grail of Santa jobs. “You can’t get much higher in the business than Myer Bourke Street and Crown Casino, I had the pleasure of doing both. I enjoyed the magic and explaining the magic to thousands and those who didn’t believe anymore and those that did believe.”

“It is so so simple. I always had a catchphrase…no matter how young or how old they were, it didn’t matter…I’d say if you really want to know the secret of Christmas, the secret is love and peace and goodwill. The only way to achieve that is to be good to each other.”

“You get to this age level where, believe it or not, where you actually transition from Santa is pure magic to the magic of Santa, it is simply the spirit of giving.”

Through Sickness and Good Health

Neale and his wife Ingrid have lived together in the Box Hill and Mont Albert area for over 18 years. The couple met 34 years ago in Phillip Island. Neale was working on the ferry and fishing boats and living at the same caravan park as Ingrid at the time. One day he hopped a fence to cut through to his side of the park, he was then met with the angry barks of a fox terrier belonging to Ingrid. 9 years later the two married and have been together for over 25 years.

They had previously lived in Mont Albert before moving, Mr. D, a neighbour who lived across the road and who Neale had worked with offered them to live at one of the properties he owned. The lease was agreed by a handshake between the two, no paperwork or agency, just two men’s word bound by a gestural act. Throughout the years Neale would pay the rent and offer to paint or repair the place but Mr. D would tell him each time not to worry as he would be knocking it down soon anyway. At the grand age of 97 Mr. D passed away, leaving his possessions with his son and daughter. It wouldn’t be long before they decided to hand Neale his 60-day notice, the time had come for the block to be sold to make way for 10 townhouses. The timing wasn’t the best, Ingrid was in hospital and Neale was out of work and the situation took a toll on him.

Staying Strong During Hard Times

Ingrid’s health began to decline after her ex-husband was severely injured in a house fire and became paraplegic from the neck down. Neale and Ingrid would visit him on a weekly basis cooking and caring for him, until 6 months when he later when he passed. Tragedy would strike twice as Ingrid’s son set fire to the same house and took his own life. These two monumental losses caused a great deal of grief in Ingrid’s life.

After losing both her ex-husband and son Neale became her full-time carer. “That's my role as a husband, she’s been good to me and taken care of me and now it’s my turn. The vows of marriage, if you believe them and if you’re in love are the most beautiful contract you would ever want to make. The certificate honours the fact that you have pledged your allegiance to your partner and that you’re not going to let her down no matter what happens and she did the same for me. That’s how it’s going to be.”

The love between them is still just as strong as the first day of their marriage, unfortunately, old age started to take effect and the house became overrun.

I asked Neale how he stays strong during tough times and he told me, “Because I am totally, absolutely, completely happy to be alive.”

Mantras have become a way for Neale to navigate grief through repeating affirming phrases over and over. One of the phrases that stood out to him was the serenity prayer used by Alcoholics Anonymous. “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Even when talking about Ingrid’s diagnosis of dementia, Neale upholds a love for her like no other, telling me of a cartoon that he had seen many years ago. “I saw a cartoon where a chap was asked where he was going and he said to his friend “I’m going to see my wife” and one of the chaps said “don’t worry about it she won’t know you” and he said back to him “I won’t worry because I know her...I still know who she is so don’t you worry about it.”

Final Words To The World

Before finishing our interview I asked Neale if he had any final words to give to the world.

“Our minds are absolutely powerful, especially when focused on our own being and if you like our own karma. Take care of the world we live in. Don’t destroy it for any commercial gain, remember those in future will need somewhere to live as well. Be good to each other. The balance of the planet will change and we will be the victims. Be concerned about living and looking after the things that make us happy to be alive, rather than thinking that all those things have little to do with us. We are simply part of a whole magical systems. I know I’ve used that word a few times today, but I’m quite serious about it. Take care, everything is finite, there is a limit to everything. Just be good to yourself and respect everything around you, the animals, the birds and the bees and seas.”

Thank you to Amy Murray who first alerted me to Neale's story via Facebook, she was also the lovely person who set up the GoFundMe fundraiser. Amy and Neale met at Elgar Park during the pandemic where their dogs took a liking to each other and a friendship blossomed.

If you have a spare dollar and are in the position to donate it to Neale and Ingrid please visit the link here.