- Bob and Barbara Moore from Gympie north of Brisbane enjoyed playing Santa
- They dressed as Santa and Mrs Claus for 14 years to entertain town’s children
- Political correctness has been blamed for their decision to put costumes away
A kindhearted couple have blamed political correctness for their decision to stop dressing as Santa and Mrs Claus.
For 14 years, Bob and Barbara Moore have donned the red costumes to entertain children in the Queensland town of Gympie, a three-hour drive north of Brisbane.
However, this year will be their last.
Barbara and Bob Moore dressed as Mrs Claus and Santa for 14 years but that has now ended
The Moores have had Gympie residents of all ages on their laps as Santa and Mrs Claus
Mr Moore said he was worried about being dragged into a courtroom if either of them disciplined a child for being naughty.
‘If I say the wrong thing, or happen to grab your son or daughter in the wrong way and in front of parents, I could wind up in court,’ he told the Gympie Times.
‘When you do it it is beautiful, but now it’s not as enjoyable.’
Mrs Moore said would put away the Santa suits so they could spend more time with their family over the summer.
‘It’s getting too politically correct,’ she said.
Her husband cited a situation where a mother chastised him for telling her son he might be on the naughty list, when joking that he needed to check if he qualified for a gift.
The Moores are pillars of the Gympie community, and are involved with the district historical society and a Men’s Shed group.
The Moores were such a fixture of Gympie their state MP Tony Perrett paid them a visit