OCR RESIDENTS NEWSLETTER April 2018 Issue 14

Transcription

1 OCR RESIDENTS NEWSLETTER April 2018 Issue 14 From the Editor Random Ramblings We know that OCR is awash with the oceans and sea of the world; now it seems that the adjoining Elanora Estate is going to be fishy, Whiting Street etc. Did I see construction activity on the hill in the Rainbow Beach development opposite OCR recently? Is work about to start on the proposed village centre? I have just discovered a part of Lake Cathie that I have never seen before and it is just over our backyard, at least how the crow flies. It is not accessible by foot or any other mode of transport except by kayak or canoe. Thanks to Steve Cameron I got to explore the actual Lake Cathie, west of the Kenwood Drive bridge; beautiful, quiet, peaceful. A quick note for our newer residents about the OCR Library. The library operates on an honour system with a three week borrowing period. I get plenty of donations (which are very welcome) and I endeavour to place newer titles in the library each month. If there is any particular title you might like to read, which we don t have, I can usually source it. Ray Cooper From the Residents Committee fire at 111 many residents have already disconnected the black box located in the garage, but for those who have not, please assess your own situation, and decide if you need to keep the battery backup provided by the black box operational or to disconnect it. If you decide to keep it operational, you must ensure that it is properly ventilated and no other electrical items are plugged into it other than the router. The insurance company was not able to identify any single point of origin of the fire, but they concluded that the black box was the most likely cause. This may have been due to a series of unrelated events that culminated in the unit overheating. You also need to be aware that the battery in the black box has a limited life of around 2-3 years and then needs to be replaced. Your ISP or phone company should be able to discuss and assist in this regard. Tennis Court. We are pleased to advise that the tennis court has been reconditioned by Sportzing. They apparently lifted and cleaned the sand before evenly redistributing it over the court. This has provided an improved and safer playing surface for the enjoyment for all players. The putting green and the golf driving squares have also been similarly treated. Maintenance. Remedial landscape work has also begun in some of the older areas of the resort, areas near houses #1 and #7 and Bismarck Lane have been treated, but if you are aware of an area near you in need of attention, please contact Karen or Darren who will action it through the Maintenance Book. Meeting with management. the Residents Committee has not had any meeting with Management since the last Residents Meeting, so there is no update on caravan & rv storage area, the new water meters or the green bin. OCR Residents Committee: Peter Franklin #121, Steve Sellick #173, Julie Price #120, Diane Absalom #185, Vic Rogers #177 Black Box. All the evidence seems to point to the fact that, we as residents, each own the black box, router and black phone, located on our premises. Following the Grapevine #14 April, Editorial Team: Bob Bunting, John Bath, Jenny McGill, Kevin Lewis, Gary Hall, Audrey Coxon, Ray Cooper

2 What s on at OCR Social Committee Functions Meet and Greet Fridays 4.00pm 9th and 20th April Prior to the Meet and Greet on the 20th, the Lake Cathie Progress Association will be giving residents an update on their activities and future plans for the area. The Association members will be here at 3.30pm. For the diary Mother s Day, 13 th May, Details to be advised. Music, Music, Music OCR Theatre 4.00pm 13 th, 14 th, 15 th, 16 th May. You will have received a flyer regarding this event. What s on In Port Macquarie Port Macquarie celebrates its Bicentenary year this year. April / May is Heritage Festival month with lots of tours, talks, art etc. Details are in the latest Focus magazine or on Council s website pmhc.nsw.gov.au/heritage. Anzac Day at Ocean Club Resort Residents are reminded that our annual Anzac Day Commemorative Service will be held on Wednesday, 25th April 2018 commencing at 10am. The service will be held as usual in the Clubhouse. Why is this day special to Australians? On the morning of Sunday, 25th of April 1915, Australian and New Zealand Army Corps formed a part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies. The objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, and an ally of Germany. These allied forces became known as Anzacs and the pride they took in that name continues to this day. The Anzacs landed on Gallipoli and met fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. Their plan to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the allied forces were evacuated. Both sides suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed. News of the landing on Gallipoli and the events that followed had a profound impact on Australians at home. The 25th of April soon became the day on which Australians remember the sacrifice of those who had died in the war. The Anzacs were courageous and, although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left us all a powerful legacy. What does Anzac Day mean today? With the coming of the Second World War, Anzac Day also served to commemorate the lives of Australians who died in that war. The meaning of Anzac Day today includes the remembrance of all Australians killed in military operations and to remember those currently serving our country in various areas of operations around the world. Lest We Forget. At the Movies Almost without exception, films are shown in the OCR theatre each Sunday from 4.30pm. Finish time is approximately 6.30pm. With the addition of seating from the main hall, we can sit around 30. Please come along and join us. Movies for April 8th April: The Mountain Between Us Idris Elba, Kate Winslet. 15th April: A Perfect World Clint Eastwood, Kevin Costner, Laura Dern. 22nd April: Hamstead Diane Keaton, Brendan Gleeson. 29th April: Maudie Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke. 2

3 Travellers Tales Two Tales from Barry Crispe drop dramatically when the girls moved into seating further away. Each time more passengers entered, the scene was repeated, but eventually a rather handsome monk (about 30) wearing a white cassock, leather belt and sandals, walked towards them. Your imagination will work out the looks on the boys faces as he walked down. THE AITUTAXI Whilst returning from an overseas trip, we stayed at Aitutaki in a small motel operated by one of the locals. We had all our gear packed ready for departure and were waiting for time to pass before calling the owner to arrange transport to the airport. While we waited, the owner knocked urgently to advise that the plane had arrived early and we needed to rush. The first vehicle available was his small truck. Our bags were quickly loaded aboard and Lee sat in the front with the owner and a plastic chair was placed on the tabletop for me to sit on. We then proceeded about 5 km to the airport with me waving to the locals (mainly mothers on mopeds with kids on the back travelling behind.) As it was a Sunday, we had to travel past a group of islanders protesting about Sunday flights, but eventually managing to board the plane. BREAKFAST ON BOARD P & O They all seemed to get on OK at breakfast, however as I walked through the Late night disco, there was Father Bernard with the boys and about 4-5 of the girls building castles out of beer cans. I suspect they all had a lot more fun having the monk with them as would otherwise have been the case. The rumour was that Father Bernard was travelling to Honiara to stay on a Mission Station with a view to comparing a single life with a possible married life which he was envisaging. Thanks everyone for your travel stories. Some more would be welcome. Conversations at OCR Final Thursday in March, June, September & December (day to be advised) each year. Venue: OCR Theatre Time: 10am Duration: 45 Minutes M.C Kevin Lewis Conversation Topics to be advertised on the OCR Residents Guide website. Often, during discussions with our fellow residents, we find that many of our people have incredibly diverse backgrounds. One of my cruises was aboard P & O s Oriana. The seating for meals, at that time, was allocated by the Company. The first day at breakfast I was allocated seating at the end of the room. On the other side of the aisle there were a few young guys from Orange. The room filled up from the other end and passengers moved to their seats as they walked down the main aisle. As the young attractive females walked towards them the boys excitement increased only to see their faces As examples, OCR can boast Inveterate caravanners, expert fisherfolk, writers, public speakers, motor bike riders, thespians, photographers, superb artists, engineers, electricians and more. We hope that some of those residents might enjoy sharing their adventures and experiences and also giving some tips. So, we propose a series of Quarterly conversations at OCR. If the interest is high, we envisage our first Conversation in September Thereafter, each Quarter; December 2018, March 2019 and so on. Already we have several interesting topics at hand. 3

4 Should our proposal have your support, we would also introduce presenters from outside OCR. The format for each Conversation would be something like this: Topic: Advertised on the OCR Residents Guide website. 10am: on the day of the event - Speaker introduced by our MC. Conversation and Question Time duration 45 minutes. Simple Morning Tea to follow each Conversation. To gauge support, Kevin Lewis and Terry Feltham will, over the next week or so, prepare LISTS (seeking your views) to be displayed in the Clubhouse. Independent Inquiry into the System of Compensation and Rehabilitation for Veterans Everyone is welcome to join us on our weekly walks. It is a good way for new residents to get to know their new neighbours. It does not matter if you are a fast or slow walker; you can walk at your own pace, you will not be left behind. It is also a good way to find out where all the coffee shops are! 5th April. Port Marina to Town Beach. Coffee at Chop and Chill at the Town Green. 12th April. Kooloonbung Nature Reserve, Gordon Street. Coffee at Beantree Café, Horton St. 19th April. Grants Head to Grants Beach, Bonny Hills. Coffee at Crave Café, Bonny Hills. 26th April. Diamond Head, Dunbogan. Coffee at LUSC, Laurieton. For the information of all ex-service men and women at Ocean Club Resort. The Australian Government recently announced the Productivity Commission will undertake an inquiry into the system of compensation and rehabilitation for veterans (serving and ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force). The inquiry will examine whether the system of compensation and rehabilitation for veterans is fit for purpose now and into the future. The Commission will also review the governance arrangements, administrative processes and service delivery of the Veterans' Affairs portfolio. The Commission is due to report to the Government within 15 months. Public consultation will be undertaken as part of the inquiry. For further information and the terms of reference for the inquiry are available on the Commission's website pc.gov.au OCR Artists Group If you paint/draw/sketch etc you might like to join us on a Tuesday morning in the Art Room in the Activities Centre. The room is booked from 9.00am until 3.00pm. We are a friendly group of mutually supportive people who enjoy painting together. We would like to encourage other artists to come along for a chat or for you to paint with us just bring along your art materials and stay. Because the air circulation is not sufficient to handle turps, painters in oils should just bring sketching materials. Thursday Walking Group Schedule for April 4

5 Bike Riding for Fun Fancy a hobby that s fun, keeps you fit and, best of all, is scientifically proven to keep you young? Then it s time to get back on your bike. A new study on ageing has concluded that bike riders don t show their age as much as less active oldies. The research revealed that by almost all measures, the physical functions of regular older riders was much closer to that of young adults than to people their own age. Even the groups oldest cyclists, who were in their late seventies, had a younger person s level of balance, reflexes, metabolic health and memory ability. Yada yada, yada. matters regarding Di s trike and have found that they do sell trike bikes. Importantly, they also build the trike for you saving days of frustration trying to get the gears right from 'flat pack' to a safe, rideable bike and then deliver it to your door. Should anyone be interested, we suggest that you contact Wade at Laurieton Cycles on and have a chat...and mention that Kev and Di Lewis from Ocean Club Resort sent you. For the dedicated bicycle rider Wade also has a pick up and deliver service for the times when you think your trusty bike needs a bit of TLC. Seriously though, since arriving at Ocean Club Resort a few years ago Di and I have taken up our bike riding again, something we haven t done for quite some years. Initially, we both had the traditional two wheelers, but for various reasons (one of which debunks one of the outcomes of the study - that of balance) Di has recently opted for a three-wheeler, or what we refer to as a Trike Bike. Since taking up bike riding again we have found it contributes quite significantly to our wellbeing, gives us greater freedom to move quickly around the Resort and importantly saves on our fuel expenses. Neither of us has the intention of taking up riding outside the confines of the Resort as we don t have the confidence to mix it with other vehicles. However, we have no doubt that those more serious and adventurous enthusiasts wouldn t hesitate in getting out there and enjoying their bicycles. One day, should we ever have paths installed from the Resort to the Medical Centre (and further afield) we have no doubt that we would venture out. Kevin Lewis Since Di has taken up riding her trike bike there has been a lot of interest shown. Our initial research into the availability of the trike bike told us that there were no local suppliers of this type of bike. So, we travelled all the way to Tweed Heads NSW to pick up the bike in flat pack requiring us to build it once we arrived home. Two days of frustrating effort to build the bike gave Di what you all witness now with her riding almost daily around the Resort. She is now capable of undertaking one of her favourite pastimes, talking, even while riding. She can stop the bike, not have to worry about balancing to stop and have a chat. All jokes aside, she is now very confident on the bike, is getting even more regular exercise and just loves her new trike bike. We have since discovered that these bikes are available at Laurieton Cycles. We have been in touch with the owner seeking his advice about some minor technical 5