It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for Arthur Butler.
The Aboriginal man from Adelaide was recently disappointed after seeing a talent agency advertisement looking to hire 'Caucasian' men to play Father Christmas.
“I thought, well, I could be Santa. I’m willing to give it a go,” he told NITV News.
“I’ve got the beard for it and the tummy for it to be Santa, and also my jovial lifestyle and how much of a happy person I am.”
Mr Butler said he phoned the company and was told that being Indigenous would not affect his application but all the vacancies had been filled.
The job ad Arthur Butler saw. Source: Supplied
After starting a small online campaign about the perceived racial discrimination, the story attracted attention from the local newspaper and TV stations.
“I’ve stopped reading a lot of those comments now because I know pretty much the majority of Australia is behind me,” he said.
Mr Butler has since booked his first gig as Santa at a school fete in Adelaide’s southern suburbs.
He said it “was time for a bit of a change” and that he has started to receive other offers.
“People are starting to say ‘yes, we want you as our Santa’,” he said.
“It actually makes me feel happy. It’s different, you know. I’m not used to having this sort of limelight on me.”
