3 December, 2025

Santas and strings bring Christmas vibe to Milford

Secret Santa… the man in red wasn’t giving much away in an interview with Milford Business Association manager Murray Hill, while musicians (from left) Jacob Robinson, Austin Yang and Charles Xing were all concentration

A performance by a student string quintet made for an oasis of calm in the Milford mall as the annual Christmas in Milford event drew crowds last weekend.
Not one but two Santas fielded children’s present requests, setting up their chairs in the Milford Shopping Centre and at a separate Christmas grotto inside Ray White real estate office on Kitchener Rd.
Shoppers set the tills ringing amid the tinsel. Many who paused to enjoy the music from the Westlake Boys High School students also contributed to their fundraising for a music trip next year. “It’s not every day you see a group of people busking in uniform,” said Year 10 violinist Tom Reid.
Eighty students will go on a combined overseas instrumental trip with Westlake Girls High School to China in April. They each need to raise $8000 for the trip.
Tom said the mall group had busked six times in Milford. Their repertoire of classical pieces, with a few Christmas compositions thrown in for good measure, raised hundreds of dollars.
Wider school fundraising for the trip is planned, with a $15 car wash with sausage sizzle and bake sale in the WBHS carpark this Saturday, 29 November from 11am-2pm. A quiz night with musical interludes and raffles will be held in the school auditorium on Thursday 4 December at 6.30pm. (Details on the school facebook page.)
A choir from the Milford Baptist Church also performed at Christmas in Milford, and various “superhero” entertainers roamed among stalls in the mall’s front car-park. On stage, Milford Business Association manager Murray Hill did his best to get Santa to spill the beans on how he manages his workload. The man in red was cagey, revealing only that he likes a cup of cocoa on his busy rounds.

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