Unbridled fun and excitement, mixed with a healthy dose of tantalising edibles and refreshments was the order of the day for young and older members of Constituencies 29 and 30, as Progressive Laboour Party MPs Zane DeSilva and Jason Wade put on the areas’ annual back to school celebration.
Along with being afforded essential school supplies, children were treated to free play on a fun castle, hamburgers, hot dogs, snowballs, face painting and more, while the adults watched with glee, before testing their strength in a tug-of-war pitting one region against the other.
Few were more enthused at the occasion than DeSilva and Wade, their own wide grins telling the story.
The politicians even took extended turns on the BBQ grill, emphasising the meaning of service to those they were elected to represent in Government.
“This is our 17th year and 17 years is a long time,” said DeSilva, speaking to TNN’s Trevor Lindsay. “For Jason I believe it’s his fourth year that we’ve been doing it together, but it’s fantastic as normal.
“We’ve had several hundred people come through and we’ll have a few more hundred come through before we’re done.
“We have school giveaways, school supplies. We have Everton over there giving away shoes to the school children. We have face painting, hamburgers, hot dogs, fun castles and the biggest event, which will come later, is the tug of war between (constituencies) 29 and 30, so we will see what happens with that.
“We don’t discriminate, so we’ll have females and males on each team battling it out. But it’s a fantastic event. We have great teams behind us, because you don’t do events like this by yourself.”
DeSilva stressed that the event was not merely his doing, but represented total community effort.
“My thanks go out to both our executives and our branches and for people in general who come out and help that live in the area, which they always do,” he said. “So, it’s a great community event and I look forward to it good all forever, even after I’m gone.
“Jason and I were on the grill for two hours and thank God you came along, because we get a little break.”
Wade could barely hold back his ebullience and satisfaction in seeing his community collide for wholesome activity nd was particularly enamoured by the kids’ reception.
“It’s a give back for me and everyone knows that I’m more of a grassroots MP,” said Wade. “So to see the kids come out and see them happy to get their backpacks, to get there goodies, to play on the fun castle and, for me, to have my daughter here it’s just a wonderful feeling.
“Because at the end of the day we know that our people appreciate this and it’s not so much me doing this as a politician, because this gets lost on a lot of people, but this is just what we do.
“Zane and I going on the grill people see are sweating in amongst all the smoke and it’s just fun for us and that’s what it’s all about.
“We want the kids to be well supply going back to school with everything that they need and to just be able to come here and have genuine fun.
“If you look at everyone’s faces their all smiling, bouncing up and down on the front castles, their faces are painted, the parents and grandparents are happy, my daughter is falling all over the place, high on sugar from her snowballs.
“We just love it I can’t wait to do it next year.”
Both men vowed to have the event continue beyond their time in politics.
“Absolutely I would still do it,” said DeSilva. “Three or four years ago I said that if I ever lose this seat and still have the finances to do it I will continue to do it.
“I’ve already laid the groundwork for my children, because they know that once I’m gone, one thing they have to do is support the people in Southampton – and that’s for 29 and 30 – they already have their orders for after I’m gone.
“They can do anything that they want but this has to continue.”
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