North Ringwood Senior Citizens Club

08 April 2026

G’day All
I hope those of you with your names down for our 50th Anniversary afternoon tea, are looking forward to it.
We do have quite a lot of people coming, so we will be very short of parking spaces – there is approximately 80 spaces around the Club, but that won’t be enough.
You can park in Warrandyte Rd as well, but I really recommend that you car pool where possible – even if you find a quiet lane somewhere close where you can park a couple of cars and just bring one to the Club.
Do Not Come Early. We will have the hall set up, so there will be nowhere for you to wait. It’s supposed to start at 1.30pm. I reckon we will probably open the door at about 1.15pm.
Regards Keith
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03 April 2026

G’day All
I hope you’re all enjoying Easter – I’m sitting in hospital with an infected foot, so I am grumpier than usual (just ask Dianne, she will confirm that)!
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Anyway, our 50th Anniversary celebrations commence this Monday the 6th April. So, there are no activity charges for any activity from Monday 6th April to Sunday 19th April inclusive.
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For those of you coming to our afternoon tea next Saturday 11th April, I will send out more details during the week. Do please note that only the people with names on the list will be able to attend as we have a large attendance list.
Regards Keith
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19 March 2026
G’day All
A bit of sad news today, one of our long serving members – Tony Taranto has passed away. Tony was a member for 12 years. He was a top billiards player and also a Victorian champion boxer in his younger days. And he was a dancer here.
The funeral details are –
St Bedes Church 1 Severn St Balwyn Nth. Tuesday 24th March 10.30am.
Regards Keith
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17 March 2026
G’day All
Do you know that yesterday – Monday – was Ballarat’s dryest day on record?? – Well that was between 9am to 10am, then the rains came back!!
Our bus trip – with 46 members -  going to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens to have a look at the Begonias was eventful. It started off with bus arriving 20 minutes late because of traffic congestion, then there was no hot water on the bus for our morning tea, then it started raining before we got to Ballarat. However, we made up a little time on the trip, the bus company organized a hot water urn to be delivered to us at Ballarat, and the rain was really only a misty drizzle for the morning. So it ended up being  a really nice day.
The Begonia display is absolutely magnificent – Cliff has put some of our photos onto our website for you to have a look at – and the Gardens themselves are quite beautiful. The area around Lake Wendouree is lovely. We had about two hours at the gardens then we walked across the road to Pipers Café for lunch. We had pre-ordered our meals and the café staff were very efficient, so lunch was really enjoyable. On the way home the rain got heavier, so, instead of stopping for a break, Henry – our driver – let us serve the muffins and biscuits and cheese on board, so we all stayed dry. (Thank you to all our passengers for leaving the bus clean for Henry). We arrived back at the Club at 4.20pm after a beaut day.
Regards Keith
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15 March 2026
G’day All
Don’t forget the Eastern Volunteers presentation on Monday 23rd March at 9.30am. It’s all about the things they can help us all with, such as providing transportation to appointments and meetings, plus other activities they do as well. It’s on next Monday so do please call Janette on 0490 013 705 and put your name down.
Regards Keith
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14 March 2026
G’day All
The wheels are starting to grind forward for our 50th Afternoon Tea. I have a four items for this:–
 

1. If anyone has any club photos from the past, please let me know. We will put them up for everyone to see.

2. Cliff will take lots of photos (I hope – I’m sure he will – Are you there Cliff??). One particular one we will definitely take is of all our current - and previous Committee Members. We will do that somewhere around 2pm. So, if you have been on the Committee previously, come and get your photo taken. 

3. It does seem as if we are going to have quite a crowd, and our car parking is quite limited for the numbers we have booked already. So, if it is at all possible, and convenient, please try to double up in your cars. 

4. One last thing, the other thing the Committee has decided to do is have a two weeks free session, from Monday the 6th April and ending on Sunday the19th April – both dates inclusive. The 6th April is the actual birthday date for the Club.  

Regards Keith
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10 March 2026
G’day All
I want to let you know about our 50th Anniversary afternoon Tea.. It will be on Saturday 11th April – from 1.30pm
Come along and have a pleasant hour or so with your friends and enjoy a very nice afternoon tea. We are doing something different for this – it will be completely free. I do ask you though, if you intend to come do put your name on the list  If you are not sure, please don’t put your name on the list, until you have decided. We will cater for every name on the list, but we can’t cater for you if  your name is not on the list and, we don’t know you’re coming.
Regards Keith
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08 March 2026
G’day All
This is for everyone on our Ballarat bus trip – which is almost 50 people. The bus trip is almost here – just one week away.  Click here to see a map of the gardens for you to help make your visit a little easier. Don’t forget, the bus will leave at 8am.
Regards Keith
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04 March 2026
G’day All
Eastern Volunteers are going to visit us on Monday 23rd March at 9.30am to 11am, to give us a presentation on what their organization does, the areas it operates in, and ways to become involved with them. One of the things they do is to provide community transport to people in need of such a service. It should be a very interesting session. Janette will put up a list on the notice board this Friday for you to put your names down. The usual $2 for the cuppa and biscuits.
Regards Keith
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02 March 2026
G’day All
We’re starting up a new activity.
One of our members – Janette McNally will be running a Social Craft Group on the first Saturday of each month, from 9.30am to 11.30 am, in the Board Room. You bring your own Craft item to work on, and have a chat and a cuppa. It will cost you the usual $2 for the tea, coffee, and biscuits.
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Please give Janette a call on 0490 013 705, if you intend to come, or if you have any queries.
Regards Keith
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01 March 2026
G’day All
We’ve just checked on the Ballarat Bus Trip list and we have five vacancies at present. If you want to put your name down you MUST put your name on the list as well as putting your money in the white box – we may not see your envelope before we check the list, so the names on the list are what we work on.
Regards Keith
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22 February 2026
G’day All
We’re away at the moment caravanning around West Gippsland of all places – it’s actually very pretty and cooler than  home. I’ll tell you about it when we come home.
Actually this is about our bus trip to Ballarat. We have a bus full. So if anyone puts their name down on the second page of the list hanging up in the hall, and after the Faigs, they will be on a wait list for cancellations.
Regards Keith
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15 February 2026
G’day All
Our next bus trip is up on the notice board – we’re going to Ballarat to look at the begonias. We go on Monday 16th March. Click here to see the flyer to give you more information.  It will be a long day, we leave the Club at 8am and hope to be back by 4pm – lots of travel. You will have about two hours at the Botanic Gardens. Dianne has posted a diagram of the various things around the Begonia House that may be interesting to you as well as the flowers.
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There is also a list on the Notice Board so that you can choose your lunch and sweets. We will contact Pipers Cafe prior to the trip with your order. This does mean that whatever you order in advance you must accept that on the day as there will be no last minute changes allowed. There are 54 seats on the bus so that is the maximum we can accept. Because Pipers is allowing us to pre-book our lunches we will not accept any bookings other than the names on the list – this is to ensure that you order your lunch as you put your name down – there is a list of meals to choose from on the notice board.
Regards Keith
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15 February 2026
Yesterday – Saturday – 70 of us had a really good afternoon being entertained by Alicia. Not only is she a good singer, she was funny and related to everyone in the audience. Now, some times we have singers who are just that – good singers – but Alicia is an excellent entertainer as well. We had a lovely day. Thanks again to Dianne and Joan for preparing the afternoon teas for us. There were heart shaped cakes and chocolates on the plates. When I asked Dianne what they were for, I got such a whack!! My romantic bone must have disappeared! I hope you all had a nice Valentines Day.
Regards Keith. Click here to see the photos.
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09 February 2026
G’day All.
There’s a fair bit happening at the Club at the moment, so we thought it was time for a news letter.
So here it is.
Regards Keith
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NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2026 - by Keith
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G’day All
Time for a newsletter to let you know about various happenings around the Club. Our numbers are good at the moment – we have about 370 members. We have been averaging about 350 to 370 for the last few years.
We are still busy, with activities on every week day and some Saturdays and Sundays. We keep trying new things. John Tzinis has started Tai Chi Ball on Wednesday mornings, and Janette McNally is working on some ideas for information sessions, on the third Monday of each month. I’ll send out information a few weeks before each one.
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We have had a terrible time in Victoria with the fires over the past month or so – we have had 12,000 firefighters out all over the State, I was at Alexandra on the catastrophic Friday. The thing that is publicised most in the papers is the loss of houses, but I don’t think that’s actually the worst part. For many farmers the house is the last thing they worry about it’s more their stock, then the hay bales, then the machinery shed, then the fences. They need those things to keep their farm running.
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Our Committee has been affected, as have we all, about the huge problems our farmers are facing. So, the Committee wishes to donate at least $10,000 to a like club, such as ours if one was affected by the fires Otherwise it will go to a voluntary organization, such as Blaze Aid. This is an organization that sends volunteers to wherever they are needed to help rebuild the fences so that farmers can re-stock their land and get back to producing goods for us.
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Please e-mail or call me on 0412763468 with your thoughts – A YES OR NO will do.
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2026 is also our 50th Anniversary year, a meeting was held on 1st July 1975 in the North Ringwood Methodist Hall to consider forming a Senior Citizens Club. Several more discussions were held, until, finally, on April 6th 1976 our club was formed. It was given permission to use the North Ringwood Methodist Hall for it’s meetings. The Club met once a week at different venues, the Annual Subscription then was $2, with a 20c fee for each Tuesday. The original activities were – darts, quoits, hookey board, and cards.
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Maroondah Council decided to build a home for us, and our hall was opened in November 1985. From then on the club has expanded and diversified, we now have 11 activities with several new ones being tried out.
The Committee originally planned to hold a High Tea at the Karralyka. However, the e-mail I sent out revealed very little interest in the idea. So, we have decided to hold a Special Afternoon Tea at the club on Saturday 11th April, it won’t exactly be a High Tea – more like a family get together with really nice things to eat. This will celebrate our 50th Anniversary, and – hopefully (if the weather is kind, and the building keeps on schedule) our new verandah. There will be a $50 door prize for one lucky person on the day. Also, we will have two free weeks from Monday 6th April (our actual birthday) to Sunday 19th April. This will cover every activity. Dianne has more details in her spot.
The Afternoon Tea will run from 1.30pm onwards, just turn up have a nice afternoon tea, and a chat with your friends. Our Maroondah Council Mayor - Cr Linda Hancock - will do us the honour of cutting an Anniversary cake at around 2.30pm (she is also our local councillor, and assisted us with our petition re traffic lights).
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I have also requested permission to remove the wall between the Board Room and the old storage room. This would give us lots more room for the cards, mahjong players, and craft group. However, that will depend on whether that wall is a load bearing wall, or not. If it is feasible, the alteration will be done at our cost which, I suspect, will be fairly expensive. I’ll keep you posted.
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Please come and join our Committee -Every position will be open at the AGM, from President down!! New ideas are what makes the Club a success.
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MEMBERSHIP.
Our membership is still growing, welcome to all our new members. If you are at an activity and see a new face, please go and introduce yourself and make them feel welcome. It is not easy walking into a room full of strangers. Our membership stands at 370 and growing. To our members who are unwell, we wish you a speedy recovery. To those who have suffered a loss, you have our sincerest condolences. Please know you are not alone.
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ACTIVITIES COMING UP.
Please remember for any extra activities that we run you must put your name on the list in hallway this helps for catering purposes. If you find you cannot attend please cross your name off list or ring Dianne. Also please pay on time. Money to go in an envelope with your name and what activity you are paying for and place in white mailbox in the hallway. Receipts will be pinned on the notice board when done.
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Saturday February 14th an entertainment afternoon with plated afternoon tea. Cost $5.oo You would need to ring Dianne to come as not enough time to put your name down now. You cannot just turn up, as afternoon tea is done for the known members numbers.
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Monday March 16th we have a bus trip to Ballarat to see their Begonias in full bloom. We will have morning tea when we get there, after that you can wander around their beautiful Begonia hot house, then on to the craft cottage, or down their Prime Minister avenue , or the fern gardens or maybe wander over to the lake and watch the swans. We then re- group to go for lunch at 12.15pm. The notice will go up shortly. This notice will be a little different we are getting a choice out of 3 items for lunch and 2 for sweets. Next to your name you will need to put a number of the lunch item you have chosen same for the sweets. This will save me ringing everyone like last month. Once you have chosen you cannot change your mind on the day, someone did last month and the Sports club were not happy. This will be a long day, leaving the club at 8am, return 4pm Cost $40.00

Saturday April 11th, we celebrate our clubs 50th Anniversary. The committee decided to have a special afternoon tea for members to come and enjoy a cuppa and some nice food meet new members and have a chat. This will be a free afternoon for members but you will still have to put your names down on the list for catering purposes. Our Maroondah Council Mayorwill cut our Anniversary cake, and toast our clubs milestone with a glass of sparkling wine, or sparkling apple juice at about 2.30pm. The club will be open from 1.30 pm for anyone who would like to come early. We will be having a door prize of a $50 voucher for one lucky member who attends our afternoon tea.
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The committee also decided to give the members two free weeks as part of our celebrations. Starting on Monday 6th, (which is our actual Anniversary date) until Sunday 19th April. You will still need to write your full name in the activity attendance book as usual.
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Saturday May 9th We will be having a fashion parade at the hall. We haven’t done this for a number of years so thought we would give it a go. Starting 1pm until approx 3.30pm This is the Saturday before Mothers Day so I asked the committee if we could allow one non member to attend with a member (maybe daughter/ daughter in law, or a friend.) cost would be $5 each This would cover the cost of a glass of sparkling wine and a sandwich or cake. This function is not costing the club anything, so the committee agreed to my request. You will need to put your name on the list when it goes up, also the name of the person you are bringing bracketed with your name. I would like 3 people to volunteer to be models for the day. If you would like to be our model please contact me
Monday May 25th we will have a bus trip, possibly to Government house and Latrobe cottage not finalized as yet. Cost $40.00 including lunch.
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Saturday June 27th, we have an entertainment afternoon, with the Renouf Duo, we have had them before and everyone asked to have them again Cost $5.
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Monday 13th July. This will be our AGM, and Xmas in July lunch at the Dorset Gardens.
All committee positions will become vacant, and anyone can nominate for any position. We need some of our younger members to have a go. New ideas and ways of doing things will help keep the club evolving and keeping up with the modern world.
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Being part of the committee helps you meet new people, be more pro-active, and can give a lot of pleasure knowing you are being of use.
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I have written a generalized description of the committee positions available in July. Please give it some serious thought. You can always come and talk to me (Dianne) for more information on these positions.

PRESIDENT, This person is the main go to person for any problems. He/she deals with the council on all issues, attending to the many emails, as well as any trades person the council sends out, also attending the person to person meetings with the council, following up on all the work orders for repairs and maintenance the council has been requested to do. He/she does all the bookings for the hall use. He/she sends out the emails that keep everyone up to date with club matters, also does the News Letters, Officiates at the committee meetings and AGM. A Bank Signatory.
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VICE PRESIDENT. Fills in for President if he/she not available. Also helps out when and where required. SECRETARY. Takes the minutes at all meetings, and the AGM. Emails the minutes to committee members, posting copies to committee who don’t have an email. Receives all the emails and records them then hands them to President for action. Collects the mail. Keeps the key register up to date. Does the purchasing of tea, coffee, milk, and all other supplies the club uses. Sends out get well cards etc. Addresses envelopes for newsletter.
 
TREASURER. Collects the money each week, balances it, records which activity it comes from and banks the money. Keeps all financial records of the club. Pays the bills. Prints out a financial statement for every committee meeting. Prepares a full statement to be presented at the AGM.
 
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY. Receives all phone calls for people wanting to know more about the club. Receives all new application forms, processes them. Keeps a manual record book, also a computer record of names addresses phone etc. Writes receipts for payment of fees and posts receipt, welcome letter and name tags to new members. In May, June, and July receives annual fees, writes receipts for these, records them in both manual and computer records. Rings, emails and text the many late payers, sometimes 3 or 4 times. Makes sure envelopes are available and membership application forms are available also,
 
ACTIVITIES/SOCIAL SECRETARY Organizes bus trips, lunches, afternoon teas, concerts or entertainment days, and any other activity that they may decide to run. Including doing the shopping for these activities . Setting up the hall for these activities. Organize to have an email sent out to advertise the event, also a notice to go on the board. Collect money, balance it up, chase up people who haven’t paid on time, Write receipts for money collected .
 
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEMBER, Help out where needed, can collect money and make sure full names are recorded in activity book. Vote on any decisions made at a meeting. Come up with ideas on how the club can improve. Greet any new member who attends an activity where the committee member is, and introduce them to other members.
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31 January 2026
G’day All
How are you coping with this hot weather?
I’m a bit tired of it now – a week of winter rain would be good!!
Anyway this is a reminder for our Entertainment Afternoon in two weeks time! Alicia from the Treblettes is coming back again – last time she took on a couple of our noisy members – AND SHE WON!!! So come on Alan Thynne and Trevor Remedio, put your names down and see if she can silence you again!! It’s still just $5.
Regards Keith
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27 January 2026
G’day All
Tomorrow is going to be an unprecedented day for heat. Although the hall is cool, the cars are going to be absolutely baking. So, John has cancelled Pa Tuan Chin, and Jan has cancelled Bowls. I suggest the card players and pool players should consider the heat in their cars and consider whether you want to go tomorrow, or not.
Regards Keith
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22 January 2026
G’day All
Here’s the information for our next Entertainment Afternoon, it’s on Saturday 14th February, commencing at 1.30pm.
Alicia was the lady who developed laryngitis the night before she was due to sing for us last November. She has promised to be absolutely fit and well for us this time! She was at the Club a year before that and she was very enjoyable. The rest of the information is on the Activities Page.
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19 January 2026
G’day All
We had 46 on our bus trip today the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens. It’s a remarkable place. A dismal piece of land has been turned into a showcase for every type of vegetation in Australia – from the tropical North down to the Southern parts. It is lovely! We hired spots on a little bus that takes a half hour tour around the place. Peter, the driver was a font of information about all the different plants – and wildlife in the Gardens. Everyone had a bus tour, and had time to walk around part of the Gardens – if they wanted to. The weather was just turning hot as we finished, so it was a very pleasant morning.
 
Then we drove around to the Trios Restaurant at the Cranbourne Race Track. We were able to have a choice of about eight different mains, which  is quite unusual, and the food was excellent.
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We left there at 2pm and were back at the Club by 2.45pm. It was a beaut day. Dianne has sent some photos to Cliff so you can see them on our web site.
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I’ll tell you all about our next Entertainment Afternoon, and our next Bus trip tomorrow. Right now I’m going to have a Poppy Nap!!
Regards Keith
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18 January 2026
G’day All
This is for the 46 hardy souls coming on our bus trip tomorrow. The weather is going to be warm, so don’t forget your hats, your sun screen and good walking shoes. Also, we have a number of new members coming along, so would you please wear your name tags so we can get to know each other – Thanks Stephen for making us obtain these name tags, they do come in handy at times.
Regards Keith
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15 January 2026
G’day All
I have two items today.
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1. You know the e-mail I sent out asking what people thought of the idea of having a Special Afternoon Tea? Just to make sure everyone is on the same page as me (sometimes I tend to lose my bookmark!) The  Members would pay $10, and the Club would pay the rest – I can hear our Treasurer, David crying!!!
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2. John Tzinis is considering offering an extra session of Pa Tuan Chin as his Tuesday class is expanding. The additional one would be on a Wednesday at 9:30AM. If you are interested, please call John on 0414 772 043.
Regards Keith
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12 January 2026
G’day All
This is my last message for today – I PROMISE!!
Our Club turns fifty on the 6th April this year. Our Committee has been looking at ways to celebrate this suitably. We have a suggestion that we have a Special Afternoon Tea at the Karralyka in Ringwood. We had our 40th Anniversary there and it was excellent.
It would cost around $80 per head, and we would expect members to contribute around $10 to book a spot. It’s very much a one off activity as I don’t think many of us will be around for the next big anniversary.
We need some help to let us know if we would get a decent amount of interest from all of you. So I am asking you to answer this e-mail with a simple Yes, or No. Yes will mean  you are interested in attending the afternoon tea, and No means you would Not be interested.
Please just return this to me with a ONE WORD REPLY – yes or no. Otherwise my computer will sag at the knees. So, nothing  else – just a one word reply. BUT please do reply – we need a fair number to reply so that we can make an informed decision.
Regards Keith
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12 January 2026
G’day All
Everything happens when we have a committee Meeting!!
Now, we have a lecturer on Osteo Arthritis visiting the club on Friday 23rd January from 2.15 – 3.15pm.There is no charge as we are not having tea or coffee, just a lecture.
If you intend to come, please put your names on the list in the hall so we know how many seats to get out.
Regards Keith
 
12 January 2026
G’day All
This is another letter for our Saturday Night dancers.
We have had a fair bit of congestion, and confusion at some of our Saturday night dances. Sometimes the floor has become too crowded. We do need to consider health and safety requirements, so, we must know how many people intend to attend a Saturday Night dance. With this in mind we have instituted a strict booking plan for each Saturday. You MUST call Dennis on 0448772327 for each individual dance – you may not do a booking further ahead than the next dance.  Now, if you attend a dance and you have not booked with Dennis for that particular night, you will NOT be permitted to enter the hall .It’s all a bit draconian, but we have to keep some order in the system. On the same matter, do please call Dennis to let him know if you have a booking but can’t make it. It will allow him to let other dancers in.
Well, that’s enough of that stuff – time for a poppy nap!!
Regards Keith
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12 January 2026
G’day All
This is for our dancers
Noel McFarlands funeral details.
Thursday 29th January 1pm at Heritage Funerals 733 Boronia Rd Wantirna.
Regards Keith
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05 January 2026
G’day All
Wendy Tan tells me that Mahjong starts again this Wednesday – the 7th. So, by next Monday we will all be completely back to normal. Doesn’t the time go quickly!?
Regards Keith
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03 January 2026
Another of our activities is open again as from next week. John Tzinis has advised me that Pa Tuan Chin will commence again next Tuesday 6th Jan at 9.30AM.
Regards Keith
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02 January 2026
G’day All
I hope you all had a nice New Years Eve. We went to our Club dance and enjoyed ourselves (it’s hard staying up late when you’re out of the habit isn’t it)!
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Anyway, on with the new year. We have a bus trip booked for Monday 19th January. It will be a visit to Cranbourne Botanic Gardens followed by lunch at the Cranbourne Race Track. Check the Activities Page for the details. Leave the Club at 9am and return by 3pm.
Regards Keith
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30 December 2025
G’day All
This is for our dancers.
Laura has asked me to let you know that Noel passed away, peacefully, yesterday.
Regards Keith
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20 December 2025
G’day All
This is just a reminder to the dancers going to the dance tonight, and also to the New Years Eve dance to bring a plate. Now that sems simple to us doesn’t it, but I remember when I was a young bloke living in Wantirna South in the early 50’s. One of my cousins, who had been serving in England during the war, brought his new English bride to our local dance for the first time. She had heard that she had to bring a plate – so she did! Then wondered what she had to do with this empty plate! She did come back and was a regular at the dances afterwards. So- put food on the plate!!!.
Regards Keith
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19 December 2025
G’day All
This is for our dancers. I’ve had a couple of queries about the dances over the next few weeks. So, let me try and clear things up.
Thursday dances are cancelled for the next two weeks. The next Thursday dance will be on 8th January.
Saturday and Sunday dances are as normal – no cancellations. The next Saturday dance is on this Saturday – the 20th of December. Then back to first and third Saturdays in January.
The next Sunday dance is on Sunday the 28th December. Then the second and fourth Sundays in January.
Regards Keith
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12 December 2025
G’day All
Here’s the timetable for the Exercise Class –
Last class for this year will be on next Friday the 19th December. The next class will be on Friday 2nd January.
Don’t forget the club will be closed completely on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years day.
Regards Keith
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08 December 2025
G’day All
Well, off you go and look at all the photos of our Christmas Luncheon today that Cliff has put on our website. Everyone looks so young and handsome (well I reckon I do at any rate !!!). It was a really nice day as usual, the food was good and the entertainment by Rick Charles really varied as usual. A good day all round.
A huge thank you to Dianne for all the work she puts into these days, and thanks Joan for coming in to help as usual.
Regards Keith
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06 December 2025
G’day All
Those of you who visit our club rooms during the next few weeks, will just have to admire our lovely Christmas decorations. They are courtesy of Judy and Herb Doekes. They are outstanding, and I thank Judy and Herb for them. They put them up last Tuesday with the able assistance of Stephen Bailey, Dianne, and myself.
Regards Keith
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02 December 2025
G’day All
Doesn’t Christmas come around fast. I hope everyone has worked out their plans for Christmas Day. I have – I said YES DEAR! And there it was, all done!
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Now, back to business. The Club will be closed as usual on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Years Day. Other than those days it’s up to each activity to decide when – or if – it will close. If the convenors could let me know over the next week, I’ll let Cliff know and he will put it up on our website.
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Now, the 130 of you going to our Christmas Luncheon (I believe this will be our biggest crowd ever), the hotel will open up the side door. So, you drive down the side of the hotel to the Motel section, and look to your right. You will see a car park there. That’s the closest car park to the side door.
Please don’t be late as we have a lot of people to seat, and the meal will be served at Midday.
Regards Keith
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01 December 2025
G’day All
I just found out how to apply for the Victorian Govt $100 energy rebate. It’s not an automatic thing – you have to apply for it. So, if you are eligible, and haven’t applied yet, here’s what you need to do.
Gather these four things together –
A recent energy bill
Your bank BSB and account number
Your medicare card
Your pension card
Then call 1800 000 832. The nice lady there will then ask you lots of questions and work out if you are eligible for the $100. It takes about 15 minutes, but it could be worth it.
Regards Keith
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28 November 2025
G’day All
Isn’t it great to be sitting inside on a cold winters day almost in December!!! Ah well, we’ll just get on with life.
Now my bossess wants me to remind you that all money and names for the Christmas Luncheon must be in the white box, and on the list, by this Tuesday – the 2nd December, as we must confirm numbers with the hotel then. We do have a fair few preferences for seating, but, if you have any more, they must be in the white box on Tuesday as well. On Friday, the kitchen table gets given over to drawing up table names -AND THEN THEY ARE SET IN STONE!!!  
Just keep in mind that, If you are sitting at a table with new people, then you develop new friends anyway.
Regards Keith
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27 November 2025
G’day All
Those going to the Christmas luncheon, don’t forget that the meal will commence to be served at midday.
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Now, I would like to comment on one other thing. When we were at the Club today, I saw that someone had put “Not Paid” on our names for the Christmas Luncheon list. This made me think that some people have a misconception about how Dianne and I work. We pay full price for every single function we attend, whether that’s one someone else organizes, or one that we arrange and run. We never attend a Club function without paying for it.
Regards Keith
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26 November 2025
G’day All
To those of you who get their hair cut with our hairdresser I’m sorry to inform you that she has to have some surgery, and does not know when she will be able to cut hair again. So her visits to us have been cancelled. She will let us know in the New Year if she is able to return.
Regards Keith
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17 November 2025
G’day All
We (our Committee) are wondering if there is any interest in our members in, either running, or participating in, a Tai Chi Class.  We have tried it on a Tuesday morning without success, but if there is any interest we have a few different time slots that we could try. Do please send me an e-mail if you are interested so we can gauge whether to pursue this or not.
Regards Keith
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16 November 2025
G’day All you Saturday Night Dancers
Remember when you used to have to book with Denis to go to the Saturday dance?  Well, I’m afraid you have to do it again starting for the next dance on Saturday 6th December. Everyone has come home from escaping North for the winter, so the dance is becoming really popular again. This means we have to restrict the numbers of people attending - both for safety and simply for comfort. You must ring Denis on 0448 772 327  to reserve your place, for each dance You may not have a permanent booking as this also makes it really difficult to assess numbers attending. So enjoy your chat with Denis each fortnight.
Regards Keith
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15 November 2025
G’day All
It’s time to get ready for our Christmas Luncheon. It will be on Monday 8th December at the Dorset Gardens Hotel. Rick Charles was so popular last year that I asked him to come along again this year. It’s always a good day. So put your names down and come and enjoy yourselves. Still just $20. Click here for more details.
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The name sheet is up on the notice board now.
Regards Keith
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13 November 2025
G’day All
This is for our Pa Tuan Chin members. John Tzinis has not had enough interest for the Tai Chi class, so he has cancelled that. He has put the Pa Tuan Chin timings back to start at 9.30am every Tuesday.
Regards keith
 
12 November 2025
G’day All
By gee this is a busy day!
I thought I would tell you about our bus trip last Monday to Abbotsford Convent. We had a good crowd of 42 members. The Convent is a huge, striking building. The Catholic church was looking for somewhere to build a place to help orphans and children in the Melbourne area around the end of the 19th Century. They found some land where a couple of homes had been abandoned, so they bought the land and built the Convent. It’s actually like a small city which had it’s own shop and it’s own church. It eventually housed 200 nuns and about 600 children and people of all different ages. It was not a pleasant place but it provided shelter and food for them.
 
We split up into two tour groups and had a walking tour which ran for about 1¾ hours – sore feet and backs!! But it was really excellent. The Convent is now owned by a not-for-profit group which leases out all the small rooms for all sorts of artistic activities. You may all have heard of the Children's Farm in Collingwood, well, that was, originally the garden run by the nuns to help feed all the people there – it’s right next door to the Convent.
 
Then we had a pleasant drive to Springvale to the Village Green hotel for a smorgasbord lunch. It was a really interesting day, and the rain held off!
Regards Keith
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12 November 2025
G’day All
Here’s a notice for our pool players. The pool room will be closed next Monday the 17th November. Now, Now, don’t fret!! It’s because we’re getting your windows tinted on that date so it will be better for you.
Regards Keith
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07 November 2025
G’day All
I think I mentioned a while ago that we have a couple of Club Anniversaries coming up.
The club was formed 50 years ago next April, and the Club house was built for us 40 years ago by Maroondah Council, and was officially opened on 17th November 1985. We are working on a suitable event to celebrate our 50th birthday, but, meanwhile our Committee has decided to have another free week to coincide with the anniversary of the opening of the hall.
So, the free week will be from Monday 17th to Sunday 23rd November inclusive.
Enjoy the week.
Regards Keith
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07 November 2025
G’day All
Oh BOTHER _ BOTHER!!
Our Club will be closed on next Thursday 13th November due to our power company doing maintenance in the area. So no dancing, or billiards, or anything for that day.
Regards Keith
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30 October 2025
Hi members. This is Cliff the Web Master. Dianne and I have conspired to send you this email because Keith may be too modest to do so. It's an extract from Nick McGowan's Facebook page. It read as follows:-
 
This is what a local HERO looks like.
Keith has served (and protected our region) for 16 years as a volunteer fire fighter responding to 1800 call outs and fighting 39 bush fires.
Thank you Keith and all the other CFA (Country Fire Authority) volunteers at Bayswater CFA.
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p. s. thanks for the cuppa and plate of goodies at today's North Ringwood Senior Citizens.
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Check the Gallery Page for the photo.
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26 October 2025
G’day All
Our bus trip to Abbotsford Convent is filling quite well, so I thought I should say that we are restricted in the number of people we can take on the guided tour. We can take up to one bus load only, that means 57 people. So, when we get to that number on the list that will be the limit we can take.
Regards Keith
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25 October 2025
G’day All
We’ve just come home from our entertainment afternoon. What a day that’s been!! Well, actually, what a night before it’s been!!
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Last night at about 8.30pm we were sitting, relaxing, watching a bit of tv – you know, the usual Oldies stuff! Then the phone rang – it was Alicia’s partner (Alicia was to be our entertainer today). Alicia has laryngitis and can’t talk, let alone sing!!! Well, that certainly focused our minds. The partner asked if we wanted to delay for a few weeks, but that was not possible for us, so he said he would try and find a substitute. We didn’t bother with tv after that. We sat there trying to think of alternatives – there weren’t too many! Fortunately we do have our film and tv roof mounted equipment, so it looked like Andre Rieu would come alive.
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But at about 9.30 pm the phone rang again. Alicia’s agent had found a substitute – Chelly Parisi said she would come. Now I had never heard of her before, and I have always tried to hear artists before I hire them as we have had a couple of  disasters in the past. But we had no choice. So I was definitely a bit nervous until she started to sing. I needn’t have worried, Chelly was Excellent!! Everyone really enjoyed the day – Mary and Pat were The Supremes (a bit more practice they could turn professional!) Then Chelly sad she would play the Nutbush if people got up. Well Mary and Pat were already up so they were trapped, then Dianne said to me “Get Up”. I tried to pretend I was deaf, but it was no use, so we both did The Nutbush. I puffed and panted for twenty minutes afterwards.
 
Then, we had two guests, Nicole Werner, our local member of the State Lower House, and Nick McGowan, our local member for the Upper House. I invited them along to thank them for their support of our petition to get traffic lights – they both wrote to the Minister for Transport on our behalf.
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All in all, we had a great day. I think Dianne sent some photos to Cliff, so you should be able to see them on the Club website.
Regards Keith
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24 October 2025
G’day All
Our Tai Chi and Pa Tuan Chin instructor, John Tzinis has just let me know that he has some vacancies still for his Tai Chi class. It is on Tuesdays at 9.15am. If you are interested to find out what Tai Chi is like, just drop in on a Tuesday morning and check the session out with John.
Regards Keith
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20 October 2025
G’day All
I’m about to break one of my rules. I usually don’t advertise an event until anything previous has been completed. However, we have a great bus trip booked and we have had to fit it in a bit earlier than we thought. So, we’re going on a guided tour of the Abbotsford Convent (whereabouts?? In Abbotsford of course)!! There are no stairs to negotiate, but there are some uneven pathways.
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Then we’re off to a smorgasbord lunch (No – Not at the Watergardens Hotel – somewhere different!).
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It’s on Monday 10th November – Leave the club at 9AM and return by 3PM.
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Do please note that we have had to increase our bus trip prices by $5, so the cost for the day is $40
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Regards Keith
 
08 October 2025
G’day All
Our next Free Week is upon us!!
All our activities will be free from Sunday 12th October to Saturday 18th October inclusive. Do please continue to enter the  names in the great new books that Cliff has provided for all of us.
Also get your names down for our Entertainment Afternoon on 25th October. Click here for the details  (No it doesn’t come under the free week!!! – but it’s only $5).
Regards Keith
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22 September 2025
G’day All
Here we are in sunny Katoomba. It’s a lovely place but as cold as charity!! Anyway, that’s for another day.
I want to advertise our next Entertainment Afternoon – Still only $5.
Alicia from The Treblettes is back again. She sings well and keeps the audience under control (almost – just ask Alan Thynne and Trevor Remidio?) She is funny and a great entertainer. It’s on Saturday 25th October at 1.30pm. Please arrive around 1pm so we can start on time. Click here to see the details.
Regards Keith
 
20 September 2025
G’day All
This is for the Friday Exercise Group. The class will run this Friday in spite of it being a Public Holiday.
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Click here for the third part of our travel notes. It’s about two pages long – sorry about that but I got a bit carried away!!
Regards Keith
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17 September 2025
G’day All
Here’s an update on the petition for traffic lights.
Council has accepted the petition and will conduct a traffic study during the period 2026-2027. They will notify me of the results of that study. They did point out that Warrandyte Road is a Dept of Transport and Planning road and Council would prefer them to be responsible for this. They also pointed out that the estimated cost of traffic lights would be approximately $2 million, with additional costs for moving the bus stop and lane marking. So, depending on the results of the survey, we will probably have to deal with that Dept eventually.
So, this won’t be a quick process, but we’ll keep at it.
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I would like to thank three of our local parliamentarians who all sent letters to the Govt backing the deal – Nicole Werner, Will Fowles – both of the Legislative Assembly, and Nick McGowan of  the Legislative Council.
Regards Keith
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16 September 2025
G’day All
John Tzinins – our Pa Tuan Chin guru – has decided to extend his teaching a little more. He will teach Tai Chi as well.
The timings, as from next Tuesday 23rd September will be –
9.15am to 10 am            Tai Chi
10.15am to Midday       Pa Tuan Chin.
Regards Keith
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13 September 2025
G’day All
This is for our 38 people going on the bus trip to Water Gardens hotel.
Don’t forget the trip is on THIS WEDNESDAY COMING – 17th September!!
Please be at the Club by 8.15 am as the bus leaves at 8.30am and cannot wait for latecomers.
Regards Keith
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4 September 2025
G’day All
Here’s the latest from sunny Coolangatta.
THE MONEY FOR THE BUS TRIP TO WATERGATE HOTEL MUST BE PAID THIS WEEK.!!  We have to pay in advance.
Lots of whales going past, and we have been swimming a couple of times! I’m sure it’s only Victorians and Taswegians who swim here at this time of the year – but it was nice.
Regards Keith
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27 August 2025
G’day All
Remember that Crummy, Corowa Kookaburra that stole my lunch?  Well here’s the next part of our trip. Throw this away if you’re not interested. Click here.
Regards Keith
 
24 August 2025
G’day All
This is a reminder about our bus trip to Water Gardens Hotel on Wednesday 17th September. I reckon it’s pretty good value – you get the bus trip, a Devonshire tea, a Morning Melodies concert, and a smorgasbord lunch – all for $35. We have about 35 booked so far, so we can fit in another 15.
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Here’s how to book if you’re still unsure. At the end of the hallway there’s a white post box. Above the box there are envelopes. Just put your money in an envelope, write your name and what it’s for on the outside and drop it in the box. And please do write your names on the list that’s hanging in the hallway so , we can keep track of how many people are going. (Oh, by the way, it’s SUNNY AND WARM IN COOLANGATTA!! Dianne is sitting on our balcony watching for whales, and watching the surfers, whist I sit in here working away on this e-mail. I sometimes think that my bossess is smarter than me!!)
Regards Keith
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19 August 2025
G’day All
Just a note concerning the traffic lights petition, I have received a letter advising that the Council will consider it at their next meeting on 25th August.
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For those of you interested, click here for an update on our travels north – just 2 ½ weeks so far.. I’ll just send bits over the next few weeks as I don’t want to bore you too much.
Regards Keith.
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14 August 2025
G’day All
We have a front door key card in a locked box at the front door. It’s used by some of our convenors . Sadly, we’ve just learned that our cupboard is bare!! What I mean to say is that the key card is missing. Could those of you who have access to the locked box, please check your pockets, and if you find the card, rush it back to the club, so that others can get in to the hall.
Regards Keith
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12 August 2025
G’day All
Here we are in sunny Casino – Northern NSW. It’s about as warm as Melbourne at present. Last night we stopped at Glen Innes - minus 1 degree overnight!! Anyway, we’re having a nice holiday. I’ll send you some information on it later.
I just want to let you know about our petition requesting traffic lights at our entrance. The petition has been lodged with Maroondah Council, it will be presented at a Council meeting soon . Three of our  local State members – Nicole Werner, Will Fowles, and Nick McGowan have pledged their support and have written to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and Maroondah Council on our behalf. Our local member, Linda Hancock is also supporting us. I have no idea how this will turn out but, at least, we have made Council aware of our concerns and that we believe something practical must be done to ensure the safety of the users of our location.
I will keep you informed.
Regards Keith
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24 July 2025
POOL PLAYERS REJOICE!! THY KINGDOM IS AT PEACE AGAIN!!
Well ,actually I just want to inform you that our Council has just installed a brand new heater in the Pool Room.
Now, I know that most of us – including me – think that instructions for a new piece of equipment is simply a waste of time, and should never be looked at. But, please, humour me here and read the instructions first.
Regards Keith
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17 July 2025
I was sitting out the front staring at the caravan, and dreaming of the hot weather up north, when Dianne said “I think we should do a newsletter before we leave”. I replied that I didn’t think I would bother! Well, here’s a newsletter.
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Things are settling down a bit now that the car park is done. Our new storeroom is ready to go, so the four table tennis tables and the indoor bowls roller should all fit in ok. It will certainly be easier for everyone to move these in and out from their new spot. We have applied to Council for permission to put shelves in to take all our bits and pieces. These will be above the height of the tables so it won’t interfere with them.
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Once that is finished our next project will be to request that the wall between the Board room (that’s where cards and mahjong are played) and the old store room be removed so the two rooms can be combined. We need more room for these activities as their numbers are growing. I suspect we will have to pay for that, but it will be good for the Club.
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Our numbers continue to grow, and our roof continues to leak!! So, everything is fairly normal.
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I have been a bit remiss in not reminding everyone about our library. This was started a few years ago. We had this run down room which didn’t do anything so the Committee renovated it, installed shelves and asked for donations of books. It filled up very quickly. We then appointed Judy Penwill as our librarian. She keeps it in excellent condition. So, now you can borrow books, and DVDs whenever you want. It’s strictly an honour system. Take the ones you want and bring them back when you’ve finished. If you have books that you don’t want you can bring them in – AFTER AUGUST (Judy is away until September).
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Our bus trips and Entertainment Afternoons are organized for a while – Dianne has news of those in her part of this newsletter. The Christmas lunch is on the way and our usual Seniors Week free week of activities will happen in October.
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ACTIVITIES
Once again we were well looked after at the Dorset Gardens Hotel for our AGM Xmas in July lunch. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, although the timing was a bit out. I asked for sweets to be served at 2pm, which allowed a good half hour for the open forum. This year hardly anyone had anything to contribute so it was over and done with quickly which put my timing out. Please remember that all these activities are for members only as they are subsidised by the club.
 
Although we will be away it is business as usual. I will take all my paperwork with me and keep up with membership, activities etc. I have organized a bus trip with a difference while we are away. Joan Craig has kindly offered to take charge of it for me. This will be on a Wednesday for a change (Wednesday 17th September). The brochure and list are up on the wall in the passage, please put your name on list and pay by due date. The trip will be to Watergardens Hotel for their morning melodies. Bus will leave the club at 8:30am, with scones and tea/coffee on arrival. Then 1 hr of entertainment by the Glen Star Variety show. Followed by a smorgasbord lunch. We had lunch there after the last outing, so a lot of you will know how good the meal is. Then back on the bus for home, arriving approx 3pm. The cost will be $35 each.
 
Then in October we have an entertainment afternoon planned. This will be Saturday 25th October. The brochure and list will go up in September. The entertainer will be Alicia from the Treblettes. We have had Alicia before about a year ago. She was very good, so we have invited her back again. Times will be 1pm for a 1.30 start followed by our afternoon tea cost will be $5.
 
For November we will have a bus trip to Abbotsford Convent, we did this on a walk with the club earlier this year, and walked around their lovely gardens. I have organized a guided tour through the old buildings to learn the history of this lovely place. Lunch destination and cost to be advised as it is getting very hard to find a destination and somewhere to eat for $35. I expect this trip will be slightly more expensive. The club covers the cost of the bus.
 
In December we will have our Xmas break up, this will be held at the Dorset Gardens Hotel on Monday 8th December. Brochure will go up Oct/Nov. We will have Rick Charles to entertain us again, we all enjoy his performances. Cost to be advised.
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MEMBERSHIP.
We still have quite a few outstanding memberships, remember to attend any activity you need to be a financial member. If you can't remember if you have paid ring Dianne to check 0411446854, or check the membership list in the hall. Unfinancial will be in RED letters.
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We have had a lot of new members this year, and I know you all will have received a warm welcome from other club members. We have a lot to offer, so make the most of your membership. To those members not feeling to good, we wish you a speedy recovery. Also our condolences to those who have lost loved ones during the year.
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15 July 2025
G’day All
I hope all of you know about our great library we have – books and dvd’s are there for you to  take and use whenever you want. No paper work,  just bring them back when you have finished with them.
Our lovely librarian Judy is going on holidays for a while (off to the Gold Coast along with  - it seems – half the Club, and including Dianne and me soon). She asks that no one donates any more books until the end of August. Also, any books that you bring back, please put them back on the shelves, in the right spot.
Regards Keith
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13 July 2025
G’day All
My petition to request traffic lights at our entrance is going well, we have quite a few signatures. If any of you have not yet signed, and are willing to do so, please do it this week as I need to get all the pages together to present to Council. I hope that will be in the next couple of weeks.
Regards Keith
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12 July 2025
G’day All
We’re heading off at the end of this month for two months caravanning. Whilst we’re away we have planned a bus trip on 17th September. Our good friend Joan Craig is looking after it for us. It’s actually back to The Watergardens Hotel. But there’s a difference. It includes a coffee and scones morning tea, then a Morning Melodies event, followed by the smorgasbord lunch. Details are on the Activities Page.
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It seems a little odd advertising this so early, but we need to order the bus before we go, and we have to estimate the size of bus to order. We would appreciate it if you could put your names on the list in the next two weeks so we can work that out.
Regards Keith
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08 July 2025
G’day All
 
I really don’t know whether to laugh, or cry!! At the AGM yesterday I was voted in as President again – Ah well, it will be another interesting year I’m sure.
 
Here’s the line up of your committee
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President - Me!!
Vice-President - Barry McFarlane
Secretary - Dianne Bunnett
Treasurer - David Lovett
Members -
Judy Doekes-Pitt
Herb Doekes
June Mellett
Stephen Bailey
Dieter Staebner
John Van der Wyk
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08 July 2025
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PRESIDENTS REPORT to the AGM 7TH JULY 2025
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The end of another interesting year - who knows what this next one will bring.
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We have ended the year with about 340 members – we generally fluctuate between
320 – 350 each year.
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Have you looked at our website yet. Cliff, our web site manager, did a marvellous job setting it up and he now keeps it up to date all the time. The majority of our new members now come from looking at the web site.
Apparently, we are one of the few Seniors Clubs going strongly around here.
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All of our activities are going well. Every now and then, one dies off a bit, but then new members join and it comes good again.
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Finances are still good. We have tried to give back some of our savings to everyone by subsidising events, such as the Entertainment Afternoons, bus trips, and lunches – we have subsidised our lunch today by $9 per head. We have also just completed a week of free activities.
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We do have a plan in the pipeline to have the Board Room extended so our cards, and mah-jong players can have more room. We will need to pay for that as Council have run out of money for us at present. That may take a little while but – hopefully – it will happen eventually.
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Council has completed our new store room – although we are going to put in some shelves, so that we can clear out the old store room completely. This means that all the table tennis tables and the bulky carpet bowls roller won’t have to be moved so far.
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I have to thank you all for the patience shown whilst the car park was redone, and the remaining trees were chopped down. Took a bit of doing to stay patient didn’t it?!! Anyway, it’s now done – thank goodness.
Our roof leaks still – as usual. I feel sorry for the Council maintenance people – no matter what they fix up, another leak starts up. The problem is it’s such a flat roof, and it has air conditioning equipment and other stuff on it. Never mind, we’ll just keep the bucket handy!
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I am concerned at the difficulty in driving in and out of our entrance. It’s been dangerous for years. Requests for traffic lights have been made numerous times over the past 20 years – I made another one several months ago – once again without success. I then asked if we could have a “KEEP CLEAR” sign painted on the road. That was knocked back too. So, now, I’m organizing a petition. We’ll see if that can wear them down!
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Our 50th Anniversary is next year. Any suggestions to celebrate the event will be welcomed.
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I hope you have enjoyed your last year at the Club, and continue to enjoy many more. I think it’s a really nice place.
Regards Keith
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04 July 2025
G’day All
Here I am, back on the air again! I’ve had a few computer problems this week so everything has been quiet. It’s frustrating when you’re certain that you know something, then you push the wrong button and you find out you don’t know everything!!??
Anyway, this is for those attending the AGM. The hotel has agreed to open their side door for us so the long walk to our room won’t be so bad. When you drive in, don’t stop at the main car park. Drive past the hotel towards the back and turn right behind it. There is another car park there and you will see the side door. We will have it open from 11.15am.
Regards Keith
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