Senior Claus, 94, still in good Nick
Even after all these years, Trevor Audain’s eyes light up at the mention of Christmas and at the sight of a certain old red suit.
The 94-year-old Aucklander once played one very important role during the holidays — the big man himself: Santa Claus.
For almost 15 years, he worked as a Santa after responding to an ad put out by the Farmers Trading Company in 1984.
He worked in the Farmers retail store in downtown Auckland in those days.
He also appeared as the main Mr Claus at the annual Farmers Santa Parade — which celebrates its 85th birthday this week — as well as for the local Christmas parade in Howick.
This year’s Farmers Santa Parade was postponed last Sunday due to bad weather and is now scheduled for Sunday.
Granddaughter Kristen Calder, now a parent herself, still remembers the days she and her siblings and cousins would be taken to see the man in red.
As young children, they knew there was something odd about Santa.
“I knew that it was Pop. With my name being Kristen, he used to pretend to get it wrong — he called me Kirsten and I used to hate it.
“I’d say: ‘I know it’s you, Pop!’”
Audain, who has had a number of strokes over the years, now lives in a rest home in West Auckland.
But his long career as old St Nick is something he and his family still talk about frequently, Calder said. They have several scrapbooks filled with memories from Audain’s days as Santa Claus — with old photos, newspaper clippings and letters from children.
Among the keepsakes is a note her granddad has written about his successful interview for the job and reveals he was paid $120 for one-and-a-half hours. “That was pretty good money in 1984,” Calder says to him.
Audain is quick to respond to his granddaughter when she asks him to do a “ho, ho, ho”.
“Ho, ho, ho, ho,” Audain says merrily.
His granddaughter says: “Yeah — you’ve still got it!”