PORT MACQUARIE/HASTINGS NEWSLETTER MARCH 2018 Website:

Transcription

1 PORT MACQUARIE/HASTINGS NEWSLETTER MARCH 2018 Website: President: John Urquhart Committee Members: Vice President: Joan Lundstrom John Banks Treasurer: Erica De Carlo Sandra Banks Secretary: Lynda Walters Lee Brown Public Officer: Erica De Carlo Nicola Herbert NEXT MEETING: 13 th MARCH 2018 Our guest speaker this month will be Michael Spooner talking about Life after Radio, What it means to be retired. The Getting to Know You "guest" will be Teresa Iwinska. New flu shots target over 65s after 2017 horror season The Federal Government is urging people to be vaccinated against the flu this winter after the virus last year claimed the lives of 1,100 Australians more than 90 per cent of whom were aged 65 or over. We have been advised that vaccines will be available in April 2018, contact your doctor. FEBRUARY MEETING 2018 Fifty three members joined in a celebration of Valentine s Day at our February meeting. Red roses were presented to all members and visitors on their way into the meeting by Greeters Megan and Trevor. Thank you to Nicola and Erica for sourcing the roses. Members listened intently to guest speaker James McAdam tell us of his three years on the road traveling from the UK to Australia in the mid 60 s. What an adventure. Thanks also to secretary Lynda Walters for letting us into your life through our getting to know you segment.

2 Our speaker James McAdam resplendant in his National Scottish Attire. OUTLOOK ON LIFE {1} Once all villagers decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That's FAITH. {2} When you throw babies in the air, they laugh because they know you will catch them. That s TRUST. {3} Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but still we set the alarms to wake up. That s HOPE. {4} We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future. That s CONFIDENCE. {5} We see the world suffering, but still we get married and have children. That s LOVE. {6}On an old man's shirt was written a sentence 'I am not 80 years old; I am sweet 16 with 64 years of experience.' That's ATTITUDE. Have a happy day and live your life like the six stories. When I was a child, I thought nap time was punishment. Now it's like a mini-vacation.

3 GUESS WHO IS COMING TO DINNER On 21 st February 2018, 6 hosts invited members for a social Lunch, to chat and get to know them outside the meetings. Below we have some pictures and comments from the day. What a wonderful lunch and afternoon we had. The meal was just lovely, the company brilliant. Thank you so much from Christine and Duncan, Brian & Wynne. To our hosts Ann & Max. Nola and John, Lee and Malcolm enjoyed a delightful lunch hosted by Robyn and Ian. We swapped stories of early marriage and travels and solved a lot of modern day problems. All in all, a wonderful afternoon shared with generous hosts. David and Helen hosted Anne, James, Teresa, Pat and John as part of our annual Guess who s coming to lunch Guests were welcomed with a glass of champagne and delightful hors d oeuvres before Helen entertained us with a beautiful pre-lunch harp rendition. A roast lunch on the deck followed with nice wines and lots of tall tales. The day concluded with a special homemade Italian chocolate cake. A wonderful lunch with great company. Thank you David and Helen. Well what a delightful girls luncheon we had at Erica s lovely home! A special little group of us were treated to yet another of her 3 hats cuisine. Smoked salmon, fish roulade and caramel and chocolate mousse. YUM! Laughter and convivial conversation was the order of the day and all played their part. Marlene and Megan, Denise, Joye and Flora with our Queen of Dining, Erica who, as usual had her finger on the pulse. Thank you Erica.

4 Trevor and Nicola have a reputation as hosts par excellence so Nessie, Barry, Pam and Gavan were pretty chuffed when we discovered that we would be their lunch guests. Nicola and Trevor had prepared a fantastic menu, we enjoyed some beautiful pre-lunch snacks followed by a wonderful three course lunch, there were to be chocolates afterwards, but we couldn t manage them and they lived on for another day. The conversation was great and made the afternoon so much fun, we solved most of Australia s and America s political problems, learned a lot about each other. We laughed a lot and generally enjoyed ourselves. Many, many thanks to Nicola and Trevor for another display of outstanding hospitality, and also Lee Brown for organising the event. Gavan Pead. PS. Sorry no group picture, only a picture of a mouth-watering main dish. High above Town Beach with wonderful views across the bay, we were welcomed by our hosts Joan & Graeme. Pre-dinner nibbles and drinks were served on the balcony and were enjoyed by the invited guests Judith & Keith, Mara & Noel and Sandra & John. Joan had decorated the table with a marine theme, with seashells and star fish and complimented this by the seashore serviettes. We enjoyed a very nice three course lunch with entrée, a main course of Herb Crusted Fish a la Jamie Oliver Style., and blueberry & yoghurt compote. Followed by coffee and chocolates. We consumed some very nice red and white wines which complemented the meal and assisted the free flowing conversations where we learned some very interesting facts about our fellow guests. A big thank you to our hosts for making us so welcome, and our compliments to the chef. Always be yourself because the people that matter don't mind and the ones that mind don't matter. As I grow older... My mind doesn't just wander... Sometimes it buggers off completely. As I have grown older, I've learned that pleasing everybody is impossible, but pissing everyone off is a piece of cake.

5 PLAYERS THEATRE REVIEW FIVE WOMEN IN THE SAME DRESS. On Saturday, February 17 th, fourteen of our members attended the latest performance at the Players Theatre, Five Woman Wearing the Same Dress. Five bridesmaids, at a wedding in Tennessee, gather in a bedroom, to hide from the bride, other guests and their past. Here, we discover, as they talk to one another, something of their past lives and their present situations especially their past relationships with men at the wedding and their hopes for possible new ones starting that day! The audience had been warned in advance that the play had adult themes. Although it was written in 1993, and it occasionally showed its age, most of the issues are still relevant today. In often colourful language, the content of the play shifted from the mainly light, such as past affairs with the same man, to occasional dark moments such as the suggestion of child abuse. In between, it uncovered topics such as drugs, lesbianism, extra-marital affairs and religion. The play relied almost entirely on dialogue between the women. Although, this was often witty and funny, there were times, particularly in the second half, when there was not quite enough to lighten a production that had little action. The five leads performed well but the southern accents made the dialogue difficult to follow at times. The set and the costumes were really professional. TRIP TO MOREE AND THE ARTESIAN SPRINGS. A reminder that a very exciting trip to Moree has been organised for May 1st to May 4th. Moree is a progressive North West NSW country town established on rich black agricultural soils that are enriched with artesian water and the waters of the Gwydir River. We will visit some of Moree's successful agribusinesses including; A cotton farm, A pecan nut farm, An olive grove and A winery. We will be guided through some of Moree's historic art deco buildings and art galleries, with time for retail therapy. There will also be time to experience Moree's wonderful therapeutically beneficial mineral spas... don't forget your bathers! Our trip to and from Moree will be allow us to experience some interesting towns and cafes including the Roxy Cafe in Bingara, Cafe Graze in Walcha, Gemocha in Tamworth and the Palette Cafe in Gunnedah. Secure your place on this trip by putting your name on the list at our next meeting ($20 deposit required). Carpooling is encouraged. A draft itinerary has been distributed to members. A final itinerary will be available in April. For further details contact John or Teresa My wife and I had words, but I didn t get to use mine. Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.

6 DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Every Day - Sunset Cruise on the Chinese Junk. Time 6pm Cruise Terminal Clarence St. Every Friday River Cruise and Winery Tour. 8.45am Cruise Terminal Clarence St. Every Sunday Jimmy s Vinyl Sunday Sessions From 2pm The Westport Club. Every Sunday BBQ Lunch on the River Princess am Cruise Terminal Clarence St. Every Wednesday and Sunday Open Nights The Astronomical Society Stewart St. Port Macquarie 15 th March = Postie Fashions End of Season Sale. (See advertisement on next page.) 17 th March - Sea Acres Bush Tucker Tour 9.30am to 11.30am. Sea Acres Rainforest Centre. 18 th March Port Macquarie Reptile Expo am Port Macquarie Panthers Club. 20 th March Meet Judith Manser. Port Macquarie Library am. 23 rd March Lost Legends Show. 7.00pm Old Butter Factory Telegraph Point. 31stt March- Port Macquarie Koala Hospital Open Day. 10am Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.

7 POSTIE FASHIONS On Thursday 15 th March at 2.00pm an End of Season Sale and a Review of the New Autumn Fashions will be held at 111 Tall Timbers Road LAKE INNES. There will be lots of fun- lucky draws and great discounts. Everyone is welcome. Please RSVP to Judith on postiepopup@gmail.com or phone by Tuesday 13 th March REGULAR MARKETS. Every Tuesday Real Food Local Produce Markets. Port Central Forecourt, Time 3pm to 6pm. Every Thursday Summer Markets- The Glasshouse Forecourt. Time 9am to 6pm. Every Saturday- Twilight Food Markets - Town Beach Park Reserve. Time 5pm to 9pm. Every Sunday- Port Macquarie Art Society Market Bazaar. Hamilton House 198 Hastings River Drive. Time 8am to 1pm. Second Saturday: The Foreshore Market - 8:00am to 1:00pm. (Port Macquarie Hastings Farmers & Artists) Westport Park, Corner Buller and Park Streets, Port Macquarie. Third Saturday St James Cottage Crafts 9:30am to 2:00pm Opposite the Blue Poles Cafe and Gallery, Byabarra. Third Sunday Laurieton. Laurieton Riverwalk Market 8:00am to 1:00pm Corner Tunis and Short Streets, Fourth Saturday Wauchope Farmers Markets 8:00am to12:00pm Wauchope Showground, High St. Wauchope. If you know of any member who may be unwell, please let anyone on the Committee know. It is important that we offer support if one of our members is unwell and let them know we are thinking of them. If anyone is in need of a helping hand to do a small job, again, let a Committee member know. We can also arrange for transport to and from meetings if anyone is unable to make their own arrangements. And if anyone is celebrating a big "0" birthday - again, please let a Committee member know. We are now accepting advertisements for the March 2018 Newsletter. Anyone interested should send their advert to sandybanks@bigpond.com the cost is $5 for 40 words and $10 if accompanied by a photograph. This cost covers one issue only.