Terry Carlan has long been a smiling face behind the wheel of buses in the Clarence Valley since the early 1990s – both school and regular services. The company he works for, Busways, has invited each of its branches across the state to decorate some of their buses for the Christmas season, to raise funds for a charity and “give back to the local community”. Yamba has two Christmas buses raising funds for the St Vincent de Paul Society. Apart from driving buses, Terry is a member of the society’s St James Conference Yamba, where he “interviews clients who come in for assistance” and does “computer work collating information for head office”. Fundraising tins are on-board the buses so customers who wish to donate their loose change can do so. “Any donation is welcome,” Terry says. “All funds raised will assist local people over the Christmas season. “There’s often a large influx of requests, because people can find it quite stressful, financially.” Last year, the initiative raised around $2,400 across the bus company’s 16 depots. “The depot teams have decked out their buses to put a smile on the face of our passengers, from the littlest ones to the oldest,” Busways marketing and sustainability manager Donna Firth said. “We wish all our customers a happy and festive holiday season.”