We read:
"A 70-year-old man working as Santa Claus says he was sacked from a Cairns department store for saying "ho, ho, ho" and singing Christmas carols.
In a case of political correctness seemingly gone mad, retired entertainer John Oakes says he was fired from his job at Myer for his rendition of Santa's famous laugh. His employer, Westaff, last month sparked national outrage when it ordered its Santas to say "ha, ha, ha" instead of "ho, ho, ho" because it could be derogatory to women.
They're trying to kill the spirit of Christmas," Mr Oakes told The Cairns Post yesterday, just days into his fourth year as Myer's Santa. "But after my shift on Monday, I got a call from my manager telling me my services were no longer required. "I hadn't done anything wrong so I asked her why, and she said, `You said ho, ho, ho and that's not appropriate'.
A Myer spokesman said Mr Oakes was sacked for breaches of company rules, but he declined to outline details of the breaches. The spokesman denied he was sacked for saying "ho, ho, ho". Westaff spokesman Bert Jansz said Mr Oakes was fired for having the wrong attitude.
Source
