Senior Citizens: fellowship and trips
Golden Bay’s well-established Senior Citizens Association is putting out an invitation for more members.
The secretary for the last five years has been Mary Couper of Rototai Road. She says the friendly group is currently down to around 50 members.
“It used to be close to 100, but quite a few have passed away or gone into homes. Also we can’t deny the setting up of a Probus group in Takaka around 18 months ago has had an impact in diverting away a few new potential members.”
For anyone interested, the main monthly meeting of the Senior Citizens Association starts at 2pm on every second Thursday of the month. General business is followed by a guest speaker. Last month’s speaker was from the Vet Club, while May’s (next week) will be from the Police. Afternoon tea with home-baking and the drawing of raffles is standard procedure afterwards. Monday afternoons are spent more recreationally, playing bowls and cards in the hall from 1.30pm.
At least once a year they have a multi-day excursion, usually from Monday to Friday around the first weekend in March. The last one was through Molesworth Station in a 12 seater mini-bus, which also included nights staying in Hanmer Springs and Christchurch. Next year they hope to hit the Ellerslie Flower Show, now in Christchurch.
Apart from its members, the Senior Citizens Association’s biggest asset is its own club rooms, situated behind the Catholic Church in Commercial Street. The former Catholic convent school building was purchased by the association 17 years ago and substantially expanded, and is also rented out to the community for meetings.
Anyone interested in joining the Golden Bay Senior Citizens Association (you only need be aged 50 to qualify!) should phone Mary Couper at 525 8445.
Gerard Hindmarsh
