Waverley
Retirement Activities Group
WRAG
|
WRAG
|
|
|
EventsDetails of events and functions that are open to all members.Also check out the Trips and Outings groups on the Activities page.
Visit the News page for Media Releases on selected events. (For copies of the photos contact the Website Publisher on the Contact Us page. Also see the FAQ page.)
Introduction to Round Dancing When: 10.30am - 12noon Thursday 2nd February Where: Uniting Church Hall, 333A Canterbury Road, Forest Hill. (Melways 62 F2) What: A special activity in conjunction with local Round Dancing Club - Rosella Rounds. Cost: $8 per person. Book: Contact Fiona on 9802 5807
The Big Breakfast When: 8.00am Sunday 12th February Where: Waverley RSL, 161 Coleman Parade, Glen Waverley (Melways 71 C2) What: Everything you'll ever want for breakfast! Cost: $18.95 per person. Pay by 3rd February. Book: Contact Dot on 9802 4822.
General Meeting & AGM When: 7.30pm Monday 20th February Where: Glen Waverley Community Centre, 700 Waverley Road, Glen Waverley. (Melways 71 C4)
What:
The quarterly General Meeting followed by the AGM and election of Committee. Please wear your name badge. Supper is provided. The following Committee positions will be vacant at the AGM:
Duty Statements for these positions and Nomination forms are available from the Secretary. Have you got some time to help run our Group? Games Night When: 7.30pm Tuesday 10th April Where: Glen Waverley Community Centre, 700 Waverley Road, Glen Waverley. (Melways 71 C4)
What:
Table-top
games, including Rummykub, Quiddler, Scrabble and Threes, Please wear your name badge. Pizza supper provided.
Christmas Social When: 6.15pm Monday 12th December Where: Glen Waverley Community Centre, 700 Waverley Road, Glen Waverley.
Day Trip When: Wednesday 23rd November Where: Marysville We joined with the Philips Retired Persons Association for a day trip to Marysville We had morning tea, a 2-course lunch at the Buxton Pub and visited the magnificent Bruno’s Sculpture Garden.
General Meeting When: 7.30pm Monday 21st November Where: Glen Waverley Community Centre, 700 Waverley Road, Glen Waverley. What a “different” meeting the November General Meeting on Monday 21st November turned-out to be! When we arrived to set-up the hall in the Glen Waverley Community Centre, a Zumba Class was in progress. They eventually moved into an adjacent room but for the first half hour the Committee Member reports were accompanied by background music. The speaker was ex-homicide detective Brian Ritchie. He spent 41 years in the Police Force and had us fascinated with some of his crime stories. As a new Police Officer his first duty was to attend the Opening Ceremony of the 1956 Olympic Games at the MCG. The highlights of his career included Ronald Ryan, the Faraday School kidnapping, Paul Haigh (Victoria's worst serial killer who is currently appealing his life sentence), the "Mr.Asia" drug syndicate and even a visit to Holy Island in Scotland. A very interesting talk.
The meeting concluded with a word from Gail Perry who organised the combined bus trip to Marysville on 23rd November, a short presentation about the Caravan & Cabin Group from Morrie and a demonstration of the new i-Can Opener by David. Annual Picnic When: Monday 31st October Where: Guide Hall, Tally Ho Reserve, Mt.Waverley. We had another fun afternoon with raffles, Melbourne Cup sweeps, games and a walk.
Games Night When: 7.30pm Thursday 27th October Where: Glen Waverley Community Centre, 700 Waverley Road, Glen Waverley. The popular Games Night on Thursday 27th October in the Glen Waverley Community Centre was dominated by table-top games, including Rummykub, Quiddler, Scrabble and Threes, and a lot of chit-chat. Some members got a bit more physical and played snooker and table tennis. The evening concluded with a pizza supper.
General Meeting When: 7.30pm Monday 15th August Where: Glen Waverley Community Centre, 700 Waverley Road, Glen Waverley.
Click on the picture to see
the Antarctica Slideshow
IN LOVE WITH AFRICA
We were all enthralled and amazed at our August General Meeting on Monday 15th August at the Glen Waverley Community Centre. After a short formal meeting we were introduced to Mirinda Thorpe, a 23 year old who has travelled to Africa twice and is returning again in November. What an amazing story she told.
She was inspired and motivated to visit Africa after reading the book "Dry Water" by zoologist and conservationist Tammie Matson in her final year at school. Last year she spent 9 months in Kenya, Uganda and Namibia as a volunteer and worked at schools and animal sanctuaries. She flew alone into Nairobi and after a very long bus ride then a ferry and motor bike ("piki piki") she arrived at the Joyland Academy at Mbita on the shore of Lake Victoria. With so many children (many without parents due to HIV) and little income, Mirinda set about registering the Academy with the Ministry of Education, opening a bank account and publishing a website to ask for donations and more volunteers. Mirinda was their first "mzungu" (white person) volunteer and is now their International Co-ordinator.
The next part of her journey took her to the SDA Girls Rescue Centre in Kajiado, the home of the Maasai tribe. This Centre provides a safe haven for young girls escaping early marriage (in which they are exchanged for cows) and genital mutilation. These first 3 months in Kenya were wonderful except Mirinda got malaria, worms, food poisoning and constant diarrhoea!
The next chapter began with a plane, bus and car to Uganda then a motor bike ride through the jungle in the dark. She arrived at KAFRED (Kibale Association For the Rural and Environmental Development) where they manage the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. Now she had animals to look after instead of people. Bigodi is the home of 8 primate species and over 200 bird species as well as other mammals and reptiles. After Bigodi, Mirinda returned to Lake Victoria this time visiting the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Unfortunately she came down with malaria again but recovered after a week to learn all about chimps - especially "Rambo"!
Walking with baby baboons Giving a lion a drink of water
Her next stop was Namibia. Mirinda visited this country on the west coast of southern Africa in 2007 and she said it was good to be back. This time she worked at the Harnas Wildlife Foundation near Gobabis in eastern Namibia. Mirinda told us that this was the most unique and incredible wildlife experience of her life. She walked and slept with baby baboons, slept with cheetahs and walked and fed lions and even had to fight the occasional bushfire! She also spent time further north in Bushmanland, the home of the Kalahari Bushmen (or San people) where she helped to rescue two baby elephants who were trapped in a waterhole, only to be chased for 2km by one of their mothers.
We were mesmerised by Mirinda's talk and photographs. What a wonderful experience she has had. Many members were moved to donate at the end of the evening and Mirinda said she would send this directly to the Joyland Academy and that WRAG would receive an acknowledgement by email with a list of items that have been bought with the money.
"We do not inherit this land from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children."
Africa Presentation "Joyland for Kenya" story "In Love With Africa" story
For more information, contact Mirinda on mirinda.t@hotmail.com
Joyland Academy: http://joylandacademy.webs.com
KAFRED: http://www.bigodi-tourism.org/6601.html
Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary: http://www.ngambaisland.com
Harnas Wildlife Foundation: http://www.harnas.org
You can also find Joyland Academy on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Joyland-Academy-Kenya/162803750459858
General Meeting When: 7.30pm Monday 16th May Where: Glen Waverley Community Centre, 700 Waverley Road, Glen Waverley. The quarterly General Meeting on a cold Monday night was attended by about 40 members. Vice President, David, chaired the meeting in President Bill's absence. (Bill and Glenys were enjoying the 30C weather in Fiji.) After a short meeting, John Payne gave us an interesting talk about the old theatres of Melbourne, titled "Where Was That Theatre". What a memory John has! He showed us his sketches of the old theatre buildings and had a story about each one. Did you know that the famous Melbourne gangster, 'Squizzy' Taylor, and his 'Bourke Street Rats' gang had a hideout in the basement of the Palace Hotel in Bourke Street who's music hall was known as the Gaiety Theatre? We had no idea there were so many different theatres in the city in the late 1800s and early 1900s. There were The Cyclorama, The Lyceum, Noble's Olympic Circus, The Hippodrome, The Total Abstinence Concert Hall, Astley's Amphitheatre and The Academy of Music which became the Bijou & Gaiety Theatres to name just a few. Just before supper we saw two short 'Flashmob' videos. Amazing! The Irish Dancers in Sydney's Central Station made some of us want to get up and dance. (To check it out, go to www.youtube.com and search for "irish dance flashmob sydney".)
Games Night When: 7.30pm Thursday 14th April Where: Glen Waverley Community Centre, 700 Waverley Road, Glen Waverley. It was another fun night although only 23 members and 2 'new' members came to play. We played Scrabble, Quiddler, 500, Rummykub, Table Tennis, Billiards and 'The Ultimate Puzzle'. The Ultimate Puzzle was a 4 x 4 jigsaw puzzle with 250,000 incorrect solutions according to the box. Needless to say no one solved it on the night although some came close with 14 pieces joined out of the required 16. The evening ended with a yummy pizza supper organised by Pat and Margot. And we all sang "Happy Birthday" to Mary!
General Meeting & AGM When: 7.30pm Monday 21st February Where: Glen Waverley Community Centre, 700 Waverley Road, Glen Waverley. General Meeting Outgoing President, Helmut, thanked the Committee for their efforts of the past 12 months and made a particular mention of Lawrie - who had been on the Committee for "years". He also thanked Margot, who has stepped down from the Secretary position after 5 years, and Rona and Bev, who both left the Committee, and also all the Convenors for their continued effort in being the 'backbone' of WRAG. In a surprise announcement, Helmut asked the members if they were in favour of Morrie being made a Life Member of WRAG. This was agreed unanimously and Morrie was presented with his badge and certificate. Morrie reciprocated by making a special presentation to Helmut and Margot for their efforts on the Management Committee.
Helmut presenting Morrie with
Morrie making a special presentation to Margot and Helmut New Committee We have a new President but no new Committee members. The result of the AGM was disappointing. The President, Bill, was elected unopposed but there were no replacements for the Secretary or any other vacant Committee positions. Maggy (Treasurer), Pat, David and Margot were re-elected. Margot will remain on the Committee but not as Secretary. Bill announced that the Committee would carry-on in 'caretaker mode' and he would ask the 30 volunteer Group Convenors at the Convenors Meeting on 1st March to decide the future of WRAG. (Subsequently 2 vacant Committee positions have been filled - see the Committee page.) Please contact your Group Convenor if you can spare some time to join the WRAG Committee.
Bill, Maggy, Pat, David & Margot Speaker After the AGM we were delighted by the speaker, David Kauler, who spoke about his recent trip from the southern tip of South America to the Falkland Islands and on to Macquarie Island via Antarctica in a Russian ice-breaker. The photos of Antarctica were wonderful. He was lucky to have had such fine weather and we were all 'mesmerised' with stories and pictures of ice, mountains, historic bases and the amazing wildlife. His coldest day was minus 7 degrees!! And, yes, he even dived in the ocean for a 30 second swim!
David Kauler Reflection Russian Ice-breaker
Royal Penguin Icy Plunge Antarctica Map
Penguin Colony on Macquarie Island |
