Port Macquarie is a second home to some Gunnedah folk, with many families travelling to the coastal hot spot for their holidays.
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Gunnedah's Pat Green has missed only one Christmas holiday at Port Macquarie in 70 years.
That was around the time she married her husband Rod.
The tradition started back when Jack and Vi Bradbury took their daughters Pat and Barbara to Port Macquarie for a six-week summer holiday each year.
Pat has continued the tradition in adulthood with her own family.
Her husband Rod has notched up about 60 Christmas holidays there himself.
“We now have our three children, 10 grandchildren and their husbands and wives joining us at Vacation Village,” Mrs Green said.
“We are all together at least every second year.”
The 2016 Christmas was no different, with three generations of the family travelling to Port Macquarie for the celebrations.
“We had 19 of our family for Christmas dinner in the lovely grounds of Vacation Village and 11 of my sister’s family – 30 in all,” Mrs Green said.
The Greens have spent Christmas holidays staying at the Vacation Village resort for the past 35 years.
“We’ve spent lots of wonderful times at Port and one of our great memories is how I taught our 10 grandchildren to swim in Vacation Village’s pool,” Mrs Green said.
The family has stayed in other accommodation at the popular coastal town over the years as well.
The Greens chose not to retire in Port Macquarie as they said they would have nowhere to go for holidays.
They said they have seen many changes in Port Macquarie over the years.
Rod, 81 and 80-year-old Pat, plan to continue the annual holiday tradition.
Rod and Pat can be seen on the golf green in Gunnedah and Pat has been volunteering at Meals on Wheels for a number of years.
The couple are also stalwarts of the Gunnedah Swimming Club, with Mr Green receiving life membership to the club last year.
