Issue 7 of 2026 10 April 2026
DATES TO REMEMBER
Tuesday 21 April – Club Management Committee Meeting
Monday 27 April – ANZAC Day Public Holiday – Club will be closed.
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THE BOOK FAIR
The queue ….
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The books, the cds and dvds, the games and puzzles, the paintings, the café- were ready and waiting….
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THE RESULT !!!!!
In 2023, the Book Fair set a new record with takings of $33,000. This was exceeded in 2024 when we reached $34,000. Hard to believe that another new record was set in 2025 when $36,000 came through the door.
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And did we outdo that in 2026? WE MOST CERTAINLY DID with an amazing result – another new record with gross takings of $39,805.00. With a little more income and outgoings still to be accounted for, I think we can call this $40,000. As is often remarked, think how many fetes and cake stalls we would have to run to make this much for the Club.
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Judy Henderson, retiring Co-ordinator writes….
We held our eleventh BIG Book Fair on the weekend of 27,28 and 29 March. It was a great success which raised $39,800 for the Club. The return of the café after several years was much appreciated by customers and volunteers.
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The success of the Book Fair is the result of the talent, work and dedication of a great team of members who have helped throughout the last year. The whole Club, as a self-funded organisation, benefits from the Book Fair. Its proceeds keep the activity fee low and contribute to building maintenance.
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Special thanks go to:
• The fantastic members of the teams that spent many hours every week over the last year cleaning, sorting, and packing books and other items. These teams led by Anne Slaney, Judy Henderson and Janet Kahler and Chris Mackay, and including Bill, Agatha, Diana, Sue S, Evonne, Annie, Pauline, Rhonda, Muriel, Tracy, Janet K, Fay, Sue A, Katherine, Clinton, Judy K, Loretta, Mark, Linda and Rosemary operated on Monday afternoon and Wednesday and Friday mornings and were responsible for the high quality of the books offered.
• Nerida Foster and Doug Wilkinson who managed the storage container and storeroom so efficiently throughout the year. Between them they stored and then moved into the designated places 1333 boxes of stock.
• The Café team led by Kari for the delicious home-made food.
• Monica for providing secretarial support to the Book Fair Committee
• Tracy for the social media campaign and producing signs.
• The car park attendants especially Richard Game, Maria, David Slaney and Ron Stewart.
• The welcome team led by Jennifer Pratten who collected the entry donations and handed out information.
• Catherine Masters who did the bookkeeping.
• Don Puttick, Jenny Gregory, Roni, Maureen, Rhonda, Sandra, Von, Judy T and, Viola, and their helpers on the checkouts.
• Chris Mackay and Janet Kahler who managed Hall 1 and all their helpers.
• Mark Sheen and Agatha who looked after the jigsaws, games, DVDs, and CDs in the veranda.
• Tracy and Adrian, who managed the non-fiction in Hall 2, and all their helpers.
• Sue and Katherine who managed the children’s area and all their helpers.
• Bill Nichol, Loretta, Kevin and Diana who managed the President’s Table and Better Books.
• Anne Slaney and Bill Nichol who were responsible for researching and preparing the collectable books for the President’s Table.
• The team who unpacked and returned the tables and bread trays.
• Don and Ron who installed the roadside signs.
• The Marist students and their teacher John Watkins who helped pack up.
• The Canberra College students who helped with setting up and packing up.
• The members and their friends who helped set up on Thursday 3 April.
• The members who came to help pack up at the end – it was great to have some fresh, energetic people.
• Ann Baker and the WOWs (Watercolours on Wednesdays group) for the beautiful cards and bookmarks, and display of paintings.
• Polly for all her incredible assistance. No task was ever too much trouble. She made thousands of book marks, scores of signs, and undertook numerous administrative tasks at the drop of a hat and always with a smile.
• President Jenny for her calm, thoughtful approach to all tasks, sound guidance, willing assistance, and support.
• Ron and the team who managed the building and surrounds throughout the Book Fair.
• Sandra Gray for the publicity.
• The card making group for all the cards that were for sale.
• Anthony McCormack and Justine Burke of Momentum Property for printing the posters.
• The Weston Creek Uniting Church for the loan of tables.
• James and Rebecca Gourley of NewBeach Co for the poster design.
• Activity groups for putting up with the disruption before and after the event.
• The generous community that donated books, and
• Last but not least all who bought the books, jigsaws, games, CDs, DVDs, and paintings.
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During the last year we continued to reach out to the community, resulting in many benefits for those concerned. We assisted the Toora women’s refuges with donations of activity books for children. We donated some boxes of left over children’s books to a literacy project in New Guinea, Buk Bilong Pikanini. We donated left over cook books to the Men’s Kitchen in Curtin. Leftover CDs and DVDs were donated to a business that sells them with all profits going to the RSPCA. We donated regularly to the Hughes Community Centre Book Exchange as well as street libraries.
The Book Fair Committee will be having a review meeting in the coming weeks so think about how you would like to be more involved or anything that would help to make the 2027 Book Fair even better and let us know. We are always looking for new volunteers, who can bring new ideas. After ten years as coordinator I am stepping down from the role. Thank you to all the wonderful people who have assisted and supported me over the years.
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Judy Henderson
Coordinator
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Jenny Gregory
President
Woden Seniors Inc
PO Box 345, Woden ACT 2606 Tel: (02) 6282 2573
Email: president@wodenseniors.org.au
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I think we’ve all met some of these people…
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Nicknames for people in the workplace –
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Wicket keeper – puts on gloves and stands back
Harvey Norman – 3 years no interest
Sensor light – only works if someone walks past
Blister – appears when the hard work is done
Showbag – full of sh**t
Lantern – not very bright and has to be carried
Deck chair – folds under pressure
Perth – three hours behind everyone else
Bushranger – holds everyone up
Wheelbarrow – only works when pushed
Cordless – charges all night but only works for 2 hours
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COMMUNITY NOTICE
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The Older Persons ACT Legal Service (OPALS) is Legal Aid ACT’s specialist service assisting older people or those who are worried about an older person.
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OPALS offers free information sessions to members of the community. Our OPALS lawyers can provide information sessions on various topics including:
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An introduction to OPALS: The Older Persons ACT Legal Service (OPALS) is a specialist service within Legal Aid ACT that provides legal assistance to older people (65+). OPALS assists with many issues, such as elder abuse, power of attorney, guardianship, financial arrangements, and more. This presentation outlines who can access OPALS, how to access OPALS and provides an in-depth overview of some legal issues that commonly affect OPALS clients.
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Abuse, Neglect, and Mistreatment of Older People: Around 15% of people 60 years and older have experienced some form of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment in community settings in the past year. That equates to nearly 9,000 individuals in the Australian Capital Territory. However, a concerning trend emerges – most people will not seek help. This presentation teaches older people (or those working with older people) the different types of abuse and empowers them to seek help and support.
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Planning Ahead: Wills, Power of Attorneys and Guardianship: Everyone wants to make their own decisions about things that affect their lives. By making future health, accommodation, and legal decisions now, you can plan for a safer old age and decide who you would like to make decisions for you if you can do longer do so. In this presentation, learn about the various tools available to plan ahead.
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Rights and Responsibilities of an Attorney or other substitute decision maker: It is possible for another person to make decisions on your behalf. This presentation looks at what kind of decisions can be made on your behalf, what are the rights and responsibilities of the person making those decisions, and what happens if you’re not happy with those decisions.
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Voluntary Assisted Dying: Voluntary assisted dying became legal in the Australian Capital Territory in 2025. This presentation discusses eligibility, the process involved and support available.
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Scams: Not only the gullible and greedy fall victim to scams. Scammers are savvy people. If you don’t know what to look out for, anyone can fall victim to a scam. The Australian Seniors Scam Report 2025 found over 4 in 5 people over 50 (84%) have encountered or been the victims of scams. This presentation will teach you the different types of scams and the common warning signs to look out for to protect yourself against scammers.
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Family and Finance: As you age, living independently in your own home can become difficult. Because of this, many older people choose to exchange their assets for care from family members. It is important not to rush or feel pressured into this decision, as it can lead to complex legal issues. This presentation will teach you how to protect your interests and what you should think about before entering into any arrangement.
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Family Violence – What can be done: Family violence is behaviour that causes a family member to feel fearful for their safety or the safety of another family member. It can be a challenging experience to recognise and escape. If you recognise family violence, there are safe ways you can help the victim seek support. This presentation will teach you what family violence is, how to help someone experiencing family violence, and how Legal Aid ACT can assist.
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The roles and responsibilities of an Executor of a Will: When a person makes a Will, they must choose a person to look after their affairs when they die (known as an executor). Often a family member or friend is asked to become an executor. However, many people are unaware of the complexities and time involved in being an executor. This presentation will teach you what an executor does and what should be considered when choosing an executor or before agreeing to become an executor.
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Assessing Capacity: Family members, health professionals, support workers etc may be required to carry out or seek an assessment of an adult’s capacity to make decisions If an adult has impaired capacity for making a particular decision, someone else might be needed to make the decision for them. This presentation will teach you what is capacity, how capacity can be assessed, supported decision making and substitute decision making.
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If there is any other legal topic which you think would be of interest to your organisation, please let us know and we would be happy to discuss this further. Our presentations can generally be tailored to suit different audiences with respect to the content, complexity, mode, and length of the sessions.
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Our team also works to develop resources, so if you have ideas for what could be useful please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can access our current resources on: Legal help for older people | Legal Aid ACT
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Availability
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If you would like to schedule a free information session from OPALS, we ask that you let us know your preferred topic and availability via return email. At present, we are scheduling presentations for May 2026 onwards.
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If you have any questions or wish to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact us on this email or by contacting us on 02 6243 3411.
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Kind regards
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