Fortnightly News11/6/2021

$1 Increase in the Activity Fee from 1st July 2021

We will be increasing the Activity Fee from $5 to $6 from 1 July 2021. This is the first increase in ten years. With the impact of the pandemic there are less people using the Club and we are currently making a loss. Due to the pandemic we have had to increase the level of cleaning in the Club, this has doubled the cleaning cost to the Club. A convenient way to manage this increase is to buy vouchers from the front office.

Free Digital Help for Seniors

Club Membership

Please ensure your membership and parking voucher is up to date.

Save the date – BIG Book Fair

The Book Fair will be held over four days this year from Thursday 5 August to Sunday 8 August from 10 am to 4 pm daily. This is the Club’s major fundraising event for the year and it promises to be a bumper event.

Please help publicise it. One way to do this is to hand out some ‘Save the Date’ bookmarks, which can be picked up from the counter.

Woden Seniors is turning 50 next year

Do you remember … an activity you enjoyed? working with friends to do something? a funny situation? unforgettable moments? winning the sweep at the Melbourne Cup Party? laughing with friends at a Christmas lunch? We’d like to hear about them because next year is our 50th Anniversary. We want to create something special to celebrate – a book of memories, the special memories of our members. Please write them for us and give them to Polly, or email them to the Club. If you would prefer to talk about them, please let Polly know so we can arrange a time to talk together about them.

Enjoy remembering,

Cindy McMillan

Please Do Not Enter the Club if:

• You are feeling unwell and developing cold or flu like symptoms (including fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue or shortness of breath); or
• You have been in close contact with someone with these symptoms or is a confirmed COVID-19 case; or
• You or someone you have been in close contact with has recently returned from interstate or overseas.

Check In CBR App

The ACT Government has mandated that the Check In CBR App be used by all venues from 6 March 2021. This means that members entering the Club must use the Check In CBR App.

The ‘Check In CBR’ app is a contactless, secure and convenient way for members to sign into the Woden Seniors Club.

The app helps protect the community by assisting with faster contact tracing. The app enables individuals to check-in to venues and have this data stored securely with ACT Health in the event contact tracing is needed due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the community.

Use of the app will help the ACT Health contact tracing team quickly identify and assist anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency non-essential businesses and undertakings are required by law to ask for the first name and phone number of people who attend their venue. Use of this app enables businesses to comply with these laws.

Download the App

5 step process to download and use the app:

(Internet connection and compatible phone or tablet device required)

1. Download the Check In CBR App from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
2. Register your details (required for the first time only).
3. At participating venues, open the app, select ‘Check In Now’ and hover your smartphone over the displayed QR code.
4. Add in any additional people – those who are with you without their own device or app.
5. When the check-in is complete, show venue staff the app successful check in screen.

Spiral News Program

June 17 Tracy Gillard Leo’s Place

Tracy is the Chief Executive Officer of Palliative Care ACT. Leo’s Place is a new non-clinical facility which was opened in January this year. It provides respite for people with a life-limiting illness and their carers.

June 24 Phil Creaser Messages from the Past… Lessons for the Future

One of the benefits of the pandemic, for us but not for Phil, is that our guest speaker is in Canberra instead of on a luxury liner sailing to exotic destinations giving lectures to the passengers.

Phil will tell us what we can learn from the fossil record and why we need a Natural History Museum here in Canberra.

Spiral is a group of senior citizens (60+ to 90+) that meet each Thursday morning, they are non-denominational with people from varied backgrounds, occupations and origins. The Spiral Photo Album gives a good sense of who they are and what they do. There are no fees but a $1 contribution to costs is requested. Spiral is seeking new members, helpers and guest speakers. You are not obliged to come every week and you can come for the talk and/or the morning tea. Any questions or suggestions please contact me or one of the other people on the list below.

Location: The Uniting Church in Gillies Street, Curtin.

When: Thursday morning.

Time: Speakers will commence at 10.10 and most will join us for the morning tea that will follow.

Fortnightly News 28/5/2021

$1 Increase in the Activity Fee from 1 July 2021

We will be increasing the Activity Fee from $5 to $6 from 1 July 2021. This is the first increase in ten years. With the impact of the pandemic there are less people using the Club and we are currently making a loss. Due to the pandemic we have had to increase the level of cleaning in the Club, this has doubled the cleaning cost to the Club. A convenient way to manage this increase is to buy vouchers from the front office.

Club Membership

Please ensure your membership and parking voucher is up to date.

Save the Date – BIG Book Fair

The Club has decided to have a BIG Book Fair from 5 to 8 August 2021 – just over two months away. It will be a COVID Safe event.

There are many thousands of books waiting to be sold. These have been collected over the last two years. To have the best chance of selling them all, the Book Fair will be held over four days this time.

This means we will need plenty of volunteers to help, particularly people who are interested in taking a leadership role in several areas, namely: non-fiction, children, DVDs and CDs, carpark management, and as a COVID safe marshal. If you are interested in taking on any of these roles please let Polly know.

Woden Seniors is turning 50th next year

Do you remember … an activity you enjoyed? working with friends to do something? a funny situation? unforgettable moments? winning the sweep at the Melbourne Cup Party? laughing with friends at a Christmas lunch? We’d like to hear about them because next year is our 50th Anniversary. We want to create something special to celebrate – a book of memories, the special memories of our members. Please write them for us and give them to Polly, or email them to the Club. If you would prefer to talk about them, please let Polly know so we can arrange a time to talk together about them.

Enjoy remembering,

Cindy McMillan

Please Do Not Enter the Club if:

• You are feeling unwell and developing cold or flu like symptoms (including fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue or shortness of breath); or
• You have been in close contact with someone with these symptoms or is a confirmed COVID-19 case; or
• You or someone you have been in close contact with has recently returned from interstate or overseas.

Check In CBR App

The ACT Government has mandated that the Check In CBR App be used by all venues from 6 March 2021. This means that members entering the Club must use the Check In CBR App.

The ‘Check In CBR’ app is a contactless, secure and convenient way for members to sign into the Woden Seniors Club.

The app helps protect the community by assisting with faster contact tracing. The app enables individuals to check-in to venues and have this data stored securely with ACT Health in the event contact tracing is needed due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the community.

Use of the app will help the ACT Health contact tracing team quickly identify and assist anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency non-essential businesses and undertakings are required by law to ask for the first name and phone number of people who attend their venue. Use of this app enables businesses to comply with these laws.

Download the App

5 step process to download and use the app:

(Internet connection and compatible phone or tablet device required)

1. Download the Check In CBR App from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
2. Register your details (required for the first time only).
3. At participating venues, open the app, select ‘Check In Now’ and hover your smartphone over the displayed QR code.
4. Add in any additional people – those who are with you without their own device or app.
5. When the check-in is complete, show venue staff the app successful check in screen.

Spiral News
Dear Spiral newsletter readers

There are many more of you than there are people who attend our weekly gatherings. That’s fine: you should come to the talks and events that appeal to you, you don’t need to come along every week. It means that we are not sure how many people we need to cater for with cakes/ biscuits/ sandwiches, but we know by 10.00 how many people we have and we adjust to that. The group that organises Spiral, and there are many of us, have been very pleasantly surprised that our numbers in 2021 are better than ever, that we are regularly meeting new members and it is wonderful to hear the buzz of conversations after 11.00. And I get feedback from people who don’t come along but enjoy hearing what we are doing. That’s nice.

I have never before sent out two newsletters in a 24-hour period. And I’ll try to be quick because in less than seven hours’ time, at 5 am on Friday, I am being taken to the airport to fly to Auckland to visit my elder son and his family which includes a grandson I have never met even though he is already walking. Covid-19 has had many consequences, in the big picture this is quite a minor one, but my wife and I are looking forward to catching up after such a long break.

There was a change to the program I sent out last night and there have been consequential changes. You will have to wait until July to meet Jane Goffman and to hear about Canberra’s first aerodrome. I’m grateful to John Morland who has stepped in at short notice to fill this gap. In trying to fill the gap I got a very special offer but I had to juggle other slots. Tracy Gillard has stepped back a week and you will now have to wait until July to hear about life on the diplomatic circuit.

Here is the new program.

June 3 John Morland Planet Vulcan

Those of us who have watched Star Trek know Dr Spock came from the planet Vulcan in a separate solar system light years away from our own. However, in our own solar system, 19th century astronomers believed there was a planet orbiting between our Sun and the planet Mercury. They named it Vulcan. To them it was real, it was a planet. It had theoretical credibility and it had even been discovered and seen on a few occasions. It was elusive, it was an enigma, it appeared and disappeared, it continually defied the predictions of the most brilliant mathematical minds of the time. It literally was the phantom, the ghost in Newton’ s clockwork universe. John, in his third astronomy talk with us, will share this fascinating planetary tale.

June 10 Tony Llewellyn-JonesThe Governor’s Family

If the name Tony Llewellyn-Jones rings a bell, it should. Google will tell you why. Tony lives in Sydney but he is directing the next Canberra Repertory production which will run between July 1 – 11. After hearing why this play was selected, how it will be presented, I’m sure you will be queueing up with me for tickets. What an opportunity, I thank Tony for giving up his busy time for us.

June 17 Tracy Gillard Leo’s Place

Tracy is the Chief Executive Officer of Palliative Care ACT. Leo’s Place is a new non-clinical facility which was opened in January this year. It provides respite for people with a life-limiting illness and their carers.

June 24 Phil Creaser Messages from the Past… Lessons for the Future

One of the benefits of the pandemic, for us but not for Phil, is that our guest speaker is in Canberra instead of on a luxury liner sailing to exotic destinations giving lectures to the passengers.

Phil will tell us what we can learn from the fossil record and why we need a Natural History Museum here in Canberra.

Spiral is a group of senior citizens (60+ to 90+) that meet each Thursday morning, they are non-denominational with people from varied backgrounds, occupations and origins. The Spiral Photo Album gives a good sense of who they are and what they do. There are no fees but a $1 contribution to costs is requested. Spiral is seeking new members, helpers and guest speakers. You are not obliged to come every week and you can come for the talk and/or the morning tea. Any questions or suggestions please contact me or one of the other people on the list below.

Location: The Uniting Church in Gillies Street, Curtin.

When: Thursday morning.

Time: Speakers will commence at 10.10 and most will join us for the morning tea that will follow.

Fortnightly News 14/5/2021

Need help with your phone or tablet? – Drop-in session

If you would like help about any issue to do with your mobile phone or tablet COTA ACT will be at the Club

• on Thursday 27 May 2021
• from 9.30 am to 11.30 am.

You may want help with the Check in CBR app or how to access Youtube – the possibilities are endless!

Just bring your phone or tablet and come along at any time during this session. Morning tea will be available.

ADVANCE CARE PLANNING

There will be more seminars on Advance Care Planning in the near future. We will let you know through this newsletter.

Table Tennis Sessions

Mondays 2.00 – 4.00 pm

Wednesdays 9.30 – 12.30 pm

Firdays – 9.30 – 12.30 pm

Please Do Not Enter the Club if:

• You are feeling unwell and developing cold or flu like symptoms (including fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue or shortness of breath); or
• You have been in close contact with someone with these symptoms or is a confirmed COVID-19 case; or
• You or someone you have been in close contact with has recently returned from interstate or overseas.

Check In CBR App

The ACT Government has mandated that the Check In CBR App be used by all venues from 6 March 2021. This means that members entering the Club must use the Check In CBR App.

The ‘Check In CBR’ app is a contactless, secure and convenient way for members to sign into the Woden Seniors Club.

The app helps protect the community by assisting with faster contact tracing. The app enables individuals to check-in to venues and have this data stored securely with ACT Health in the event contact tracing is needed due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the community.

Use of the app will help the ACT Health contact tracing team quickly identify and assist anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency non-essential businesses and undertakings are required by law to ask for the first name and phone number of people who attend their venue. Use of this app enables businesses to comply with these laws.

Download the App

5 step process to download and use the app:

(Internet connection and compatible phone or tablet device required)

1. Download the Check In CBR App from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
2. Register your details (required for the first time only).
3. At participating venues, open the app, select ‘Check In Now’ and hover your smartphone over the displayed QR code.
4. Add in any additional people – those who are with you without their own device or app.
5. When the check-in is complete, show venue staff the app successful check in screen.

Spiral News

Spiral is a group of senior citizens (60+ to 90+) that meet each Thursday morning, they are non-denominational with people from varied backgrounds, occupations and origins. The Spiral Photo Album gives a good sense of who they are and what they do. There are no fees but a $1 contribution to costs is requested. Spiral is seeking new members, helpers and guest speakers. You are not obliged to come every week and you can come for the talk and/or the morning tea. Any questions or suggestions please contact me or one of the other people on the list below.

Location: The Uniting Church in Gillies Street, Curtin.

When: Thursday morning.

Time: Speakers will commence at 10.10 and most will join us for the morning tea that will follow.

May 20 Capital Folk

This is a group of eight musicians who will bring us “Tuneful folk music from around the world.”

May 27 Dr Sophie Jensen The Trevor Kennedy Collection: Highlights

Sophie is a senior curator at the National Museum of Australia. This exhibition features 500 stunning artworks, furniture, jewellery and ceramics. Sophie will talk about Trevor’s inspired collecting and how the Museum came to acquire its largest and most significant acquisition to date. Discover stories of colonial life and society and defining moments in our history, including Federation, the discovery of gold and great sporting feats.

Fortnightly News 30/4/2021

Need help with your phone or tablet? – Drop-in session

If you would like help about any issue to do with your mobile phone or tablet COTA ACT will be at the Club

• on Thursday 27 May 2021
• from 9.30 am to 11.30 am.

You may want help with the Check CBR app or how to access Youtube – the possibilities are endless!

Just bring your phone or tablet and come along at any time during this session. Morning tea will be available.

ADVANCE CARE PLANNING

There will be more seminars on Advance Care Planning in the near future. We will let you know through this newsletter.

Table Tennis Sessions

Mondays 2.00 – 4.00 pm

Wednesdays 9.30 – 12.30 pm

Firdays – 9.30 – 12.30 pm

Check In CBR App

The ACT Government has mandated that the Check In CBR App be used by all venues from 6 March 2021. This means that members entering the Club must use the Check In CBR App.

The ‘Check In CBR’ app is a contactless, secure and convenient way for members to sign into the Woden Seniors Club.

The app helps protect the community by assisting with faster contact tracing. The app enables individuals to check-in to venues and have this data stored securely with ACT Health in the event contact tracing is needed due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the community.

Use of the app will help the ACT Health contact tracing team quickly identify and assist anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency non-essential businesses and undertakings are required by law to ask for the first name and phone number of people who attend their venue. Use of this app enables businesses to comply with these laws.

Download the App

5 step process to download and use the app:

(Internet connection and compatible phone or tablet device required)

1. Download the Check In CBR App from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
2. Register your details (required for the first time only).
3. At participating venues, open the app, select ‘Check In Now’ and hover your smartphone over the displayed QR code.
4. Add in any additional people – those who are with you without their own device or app.
5. When the check-in is complete, show venue staff the app successful check in screen.

Spiral News

Spiral is a group of senior citizens (60+ to 90+) that meet each Thursday morning, they are non-denominational with people from varied backgrounds, occupations and origins. The Spiral Photo Album gives a good sense of who they are and what they do. There are no fees but a $1 contribution to costs is requested. Spiral is seeking new members, helpers and guest speakers. You are not obliged to come every week and you can come for the talk and/or the morning tea. Any questions or suggestions please contact me or one of the other people on the list below.

Location: The Uniting Church in Gillies Street, Curtin.

When: Thursday morning.

Time: Speakers will commence at 10.10 and most will join us for the morning tea that will follow.

May 6 Simeran Maxwell Botticelli to Van Gogh

Sim is a curator at the National Gallery of Australia. She was booked to talk to us about the Matisse & Picasso exhibition on March 26 last year but Covid got it the way. Here is a taste of what we missed.

This time Sim will take us through Botticelli to Van Gogh: Masterpieces from the National Gallery, London. This is the first time that the National Gallery has toured an exhibition of works internationally, a rare opportunity to see 61 paintings by some of Europe’s most revered artists, Make sure you book a ticket before the exhibition closes on 14 June.

May 13 Professor Don Beer Australian National Botanic Gardens

Former UNE historian and guide at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, Don will join us to talk about the creation of the ANBG. Subjects covered will include how the Gardens came into existence and how they achieved the shape they have today, the roles of Lindsay Pryor, David Shoobridge, Robert Boden and other leaders, as well as some of the major developments like the rainforest gully. His book, Miracle on Black Mountain, published last October, will be available for sale.

May 20 Capital Folk

This is a group of eight musicians who will bring us “Tuneful folk music from around the world.”

May 27 Dr Sophie Jensen The Trevor Kennedy Collection: Highlights

Sophie is a senior curator at the National Museum of Australia. This exhibition features 500 stunning artworks, furniture, jewellery and ceramics. Sophie will talk about Trevor’s inspired collecting and how the Museum came to acquire its largest and most significant acquisition to date. Discover stories of colonial life and society and defining moments in our history, including Federation, the discovery of gold and great sporting feats.

Fortnightly News 16/4/2021

ADVANCE CARE PLANNING

The Advance Care Planning Program, Canberra Health Services, is offering an information session on Advance Care Planning at Woden Seniors Club on

Thursday 22 April at 1:00 pm to 2:30pm in the Anne Murray Room.

Advance Care Planning (ACP) gives you the opportunity to think about, discuss, record and share your preferences for health care in advance if you ever become unable to express them for yourself.

This will help doctors and family members to be aware of your preferences in order to make treatment decisions.

ACP also involves legally nominating who would make decisions about your medical treatment on your behalf, if you ever lose capacity to make decisions for your yourself. (Enduring Power of Attorney)

The session will provide information, question and answer session as well as assistance to complete documents. 

To ensure everyone has a chance to ask questions and understand what Advance Care Planning means for you, the session is limited to 15 participants.  Please contact Polly at the Club, tel. 6282 2573 or email to admin@wodenseniors.org.au to book a place.

If there are more people interested than can be accommodated on Thursday 22^nd April, the Program Team are willing to schedule further sessions for us, and on other than Thursdays if that is preferred. 

Do you need I.T. help?

Would you like some assistance with the Check In Canberra App? Volunteers from COTA ACT can help.

Thursday 22 April, 9:30 to 11:30 in the Woden Seniors Club.

Bring your phone or tablet and come along for Seniors Information, support and morning tea.

ACT Government Grant

The Club recently received a grant from the ACT Government to do some work in the bathrooms. Thanks to the grant, new cisterns have recently been installed in the Club’s toilets replacing the old ones which were worn out and hard to use. 

Online help with digital technology

If you are looking for help with a technology issue have a look at ‘Be Connected’  Be Connected (esafety.gov.au).  ‘Be Connected’ is an Australian Government Internet site that offers free simple online courses on a huge range of topics about how to use digital devices such as computers, tablets, smartphones, and digital cameras.  It has segments on absolute basics, which beginners will need help to access,  eg from a friend or grandchild. For those who can already use the Internet it has segments on topics such as  email, making video calls, using a smartphone, and  how to access favourite TV  or radio programs on line with catch up services such as ABC iView or SBS On Demand, to name a few.  To find a topic of interest go to Topic library (esafety.gov.au).

Exercise Classes

Gentle Exercise Class – Tuesdays 9.30 – 10.30 am

Ever Active Class – Wednesdays 8.30 – 9.30 am

Seated Exercise – Mondays – 12.00 – 1.30 pm

Tai Chi – Thursdays 2.00 – 3.15 pm 

Free digital help for Seniors

COTA ACT offers free one-on-one teaching sessions to help seniors get connected online and to learn more about their phone or other device such as a laptop or tablet.

So if you would like support to use a new smartphone, to use the Check in CBR app, to access emails, to search the Internet, or to try video chat with distant friends or family COTA ACT can help you.

Sessions currently take place on Wednesday and Friday mornings at the Hughes Community Centre and can be booked by phoning 6282 3777.

Check In CBR App

The ACT Government has mandated that the Check In CBR App be used by all venues from 6 March 2021.  This means that members entering the Club must use the Check In CBR App.  

The ‘Check In CBR’ app is a contactless, secure and convenient way for members to sign into the Woden Seniors Club.

The app helps protect the community by assisting with faster contact tracing. The app enables individuals to check-in to venues and have this data stored securely with ACT Health in the event contact tracing is needed due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the community.

Use of the app will help the ACT Health contact tracing team quickly identify and assist anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency non-essential businesses and undertakings are required by law to ask for the first name and phone number of people who attend their venue. Use of this app enables businesses to comply with these laws.

Download the App

5 step process to download and use the app:

(Internet connection and compatible phone or tablet device required)

1. 1. Download the Check In CBR App from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
2. 2. Register your details (required for the first time only).
3. 3. At participating venues, open the app, select ‘Check In Now’ and hover your smartphone over the displayed QR code.
4. 4. Add in any additional people – those who are with you without their own device or app.
5. 5. When the check-in is complete, show venue staff the app successful check in screen.

Spiral News

Spiral is a group of senior citizens (60+ to 90+) that meet each Thursday morning, they are non-denominational with people from varied backgrounds, occupations and origins. The Spiral Photo Album gives a good sense of who they are and what they do.  There are no fees but a $1 contribution to costs is requested.  Spiral is seeking new members, helpers and guest speakers.  You are not obliged to come every week and you can come for the talk and/or the morning tea.  Any questions or suggestions please contact me or one of the other people on the list below.

Location: The Uniting Church in Gillies Street, Curtin.

When: Thursday morning.

Time: Speakers will commence at 10.10 and most will join us for the morning tea that will follow. 

April 22 Sunny Side

Sunny Side is a group of four Canberra multi-instrumentalists playing between them, violin, piano, accordion, vocals, guitar, banjo, ukulele, English concertina, flute, mandolin and clarinet. Their music ranges widely from the 1920s through to Elvis and the Beatles with interesting stories and anecdotes behind the songs and the instruments. They always bring a ray of sunshine, toe-tapping and a smile wherever they play – especially with their theme songs of On the Sunny Side of the Street, Keep on the Sunny Side and Keep Your Sunny Side Up.

April 29 TBA

Remember, we still need to socially distanced and it is still compulsory for everyone to register on the Check in CBR App. Don’t worry, if you can’t do that we can do it for you when you arrive.

A reminder, we are largely funded by the Canberra Southern Cross Club Community Rewards program: https://www.cscc.com.au/rewards 

This is where you can register to support Spiral: https://csccmarketing.wufoo.com/forms/qwb3g2i1k3mggl/

Or if you give me your details I can register you.

You don’t need to attend Spiral to support us, any CSCC member – your family, your friends, your neighbours – can support us. Once you are registered as a Spiral supporter a percentage of what you spend on food and beverages comes automatically to us. 

And between now and June 30 we will earn double rewards. That will be 15% of every dollar spent at any Southern Cross club. 

Spiral is a community group which has been meeting for morning teas in Curtin for over fifty years. We aren’t incorporated, we don’t have committees or membership forms or joining fees. You can come to any meeting that interests you. We don’t even have a website! We meet in the hall at the St James Uniting Church at 40 Gillies Street, Curtin between 10.00 am and noon every Thursday. There is no religious nature to our meetings and our members come from varied backgrounds, occupations and origins. We are mostly retired, aged from our 60s to our 90s but we won’t turn you away if you are younger or older. We ask you to arrive by 10.00 am so that we can start our ‘entertainment’ as soon as possible after that. The entertainment is either a guest speaker, sometimes in a conversation format, or a musical performance. We aim to serve a fresh, mainly home-made, morning tea at 11.00 (sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later) and we aim to finish at midday.

We welcome new faces and I ask you to share this newsletter with anyone you think might be interested. 

If you have any questions about Spiral or anything to do with this newsletter please contact me, Brett Yeats, 

at yeatsb@iinet.net.au or on 0406 37 9119 or email Sara York at sarawyork@gmail.com or on 0419 587 578. 

Best wishes,

Brett, on behalf of all of us at Spiral. 

______________________________________________________

Brett Yeats 9/127 Hopetoun Circuit Yarralumla 2600 62817684

Fortnightly News 1/4/2021

Exercise Classes

Gentle Exercise Class – Tuesdays 9.30 – 10.30 am

Ever Active Class – Wednesdays 8.30 – 9.30 am

Seated Exercise – Mondays – 12.00 – 1.30 pm

Tai Chi – Thursdays 2.00 – 3.15 pm

Wine boxes for the Book Fair

Thanks to those who have already brought in wine boxes for packing books. We especially like the larger six-bottle size boxes. Just leave them in the book sorting area in the veranda.

Please keep them coming in!

Bridge

Tuesday Bridge and Saturday Bridge have resumed. Tuesday at 10.00 am & Saturday at 1.00 pm. Both days are in Hall 2.

ADVANCE CARE PLANNING

The Advance Care Planning Program, Canberra Health Services, is offering an information session on Advance Care Planning at Woden Seniors Club on

Thursday 22 April at 1:00 pm to 2:30pm in the Anne Murray Room.

Advance Care Planning (ACP) gives you the opportunity to think about, discuss, record and share your preferences for health care in advance if you ever become unable to express them for yourself.

This will help doctors and family members to be aware of your preferences in order to make treatment decisions.

ACP also involves legally nominating who would make decisions about your medical treatment on your behalf, if you ever lose capacity to make decisions for your yourself. (Enduring Power of Attorney)

The session will provide information, question and answer session as well as assistance to complete documents.

To ensure everyone has a chance to ask questions and understand what Advance Care Planning means for you, the session is limited to 15 participants. Please contact Polly at the Club, tel. 6282 2573 or email to admin to book a place.

If there are more people interested than can be accommodated on Thursday 22nd April, the Program Team are willing to schedule further sessions for us, and on other than Thursdays if that is preferred.

GROUP IT SESSIONS AT COTA ACT

 

Friday 9 April and Wednesday 14 April

COTA ACT is offering free help to seniors with IT issues, QR codes and emails.
Hughes Community Centre, 2 Wisdom St Hughes

Friday 9 April
10am Check-in CBR session
11am Getting started with Gmail

Wednesday 14 April
10am Getting started with Gmail
11am Check-in CBR session

In addition, mentors will be on hand to help with;

• all the steps to get online, including accessing Wi-Fi or mobile data,
• accessing google play or apple app store accounts
• loading email on phones

Participants can also access our free, individual, regular IT help sessions on Wednesday and Friday mornings at the Hughes centre for any other or ongoing issue.

These sessions are free and numbers are small, so please book your spot by phoning COTA ACT on 6282 3777.

Free digital help for Seniors

COTA ACT offers free one-on-one teaching sessions to help seniors get connected online and to learn more about their phone or other device such as a laptop or tablet.

So if you would like support to use a new smartphone, to use the Check in CBR app, to access emails, to search the Internet, or to try video chat with distant friends or family COTA ACT can help you.

Sessions currently take place on Wednesday and Friday mornings at the Hughes Community Centre and can be booked by phoning 6282 3777.

COTA ACT community art and photographic competition

Check In CBR App

The ACT Government has mandated that the Check In CBR App be used by all venues from 6 March 2021. This means that members entering the Club must use the Check In CBR App.

The ‘Check In CBR’ app is a contactless, secure and convenient way for members to sign into the Woden Seniors Club.

The app helps protect the community by assisting with faster contact tracing. The app enables individuals to check-in to venues and have this data stored securely with ACT Health in the event contact tracing is needed due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the community.

Use of the app will help the ACT Health contact tracing team quickly identify and assist anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency non-essential businesses and undertakings are required by law to ask for the first name and phone number of people who attend their venue. Use of this app enables businesses to comply with these laws.

Download the App

5 step process to download and use the app:

(Internet connection and compatible phone or tablet device required)

1. Download the Check In CBR App from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
2. Register your details (required for the first time only).
3. At participating venues, open the app, select ‘Check In Now’ and hover your smartphone over the displayed QR code.
4. Add in any additional people – those who are with you without their own device or app.
5. When the check-in is complete, show venue staff the app successful check in screen.

Fortnightly News 19/3/2021

Free digital help for Seniors

COTA ACT offers free one-on-one teaching sessions to help seniors get connected online and to learn more about their phone or other device such as a laptop or tablet.

So if you would like support to use a new smartphone, to use the Check in CBR app, to access emails, to search the Internet, or to try video chat with distant friends or family COTA ACT can help you.

Sessions currently take place on Wednesday and Friday mornings at the Hughes Community Centre and can be booked by phoning 6282 3777.

Bookcase

We are looking for a bookcase to use in the Club foyer for selling books. If you have a spare bookcase please let Polly know.

Wine boxes for the Book Fair

Thanks to those who have already brought in wine boxes for packing books. We especially like the larger six-bottle size boxes. Just leave them in the book sorting area in the veranda. Please keep them coming in!

Woden Seniors Exercise Classes

Gentle Exercise Class – Tuesdays 9.30 – 10.30 am

Ever Active Class – Wednesdays 8.30 – 9.30 am

Seated Exercise – Mondays – 12.00 – 1.30 pm

Tai Chi – Thursdays 2.00 – 3.15 pm

Bridge

Tuesday Bridge and Saturday Bridge have resumed. Tuesday at 10.00 am & Saturday at 1.00 pm. Both days are in Hall 2.

COTA ACT community art and photographic competition

Check In CBR App

The ACT Government has mandated that the Check In CBR App be used by all venues from 6 March 2021. This means that members entering the Club must use the Check In CBR App.

The ‘Check In CBR’ app is a contactless, secure and convenient way for members to sign into the Woden Seniors Club.

The app helps protect the community by assisting with faster contact tracing. The app enables individuals to check-in to venues and have this data stored securely with ACT Health in the event contact tracing is needed due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the community.

Use of the app will help the ACT Health contact tracing team quickly identify and assist anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency non-essential businesses and undertakings are required by law to ask for the first name and phone number of people who attend their venue. Use of this app enables businesses to comply with these laws.

Download the App

5 step process to download and use the app:

(Internet connection and compatible phone or tablet device required)

1. Download the Check In CBR App from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
2. Register your details (required for the first time only).
3. At participating venues, open the app, select ‘Check In Now’ and hover your smartphone over the displayed QR code.
4. Add in any additional people – those who are with you without their own device or app.
5. When the check-in is complete, show venue staff the app successful check in screen.

 

 

 

Spiral NewsHello everyone,

I have to begin with sad news. My mother Betty passed away on Sunday night. Mum lived in Curtin from 1966 until she moved into John Flynn House at St Andrews in Hughes last March. She was involved in Spiral for more than 30 years. Her funeral will be on Monday at 3 pm at Norwood Park Crematorium and then we will have a wake at St James in Curtin afterwards. Mum was 95, had a rich and full life. She was alert to the end and died peacefully. My wife and I were holding her hands as she took her last breath.

It’s a shame that Mum couldn’t hear tomorrow’s guest speaker. Mum was born in 1925 and lived in London through the blitz so she would have been interested to hear about Jim’s wartime experience and memories from northern England.

Life goes on for those of us who are left. We started Spiral with a bang last Thursday. There were 50 or 51 of us there – I’m not sure if I counted our guest speaker David who got us off to such a good start. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces and a surprising number of new faces. I think we dealt with the social distancing pretty well and we will learn from that experience so future morning teas should be a bit smoother.

There is still a requirement for you to register your attendance. I collected many names last week and before and more have phoned or emailed me this week. As of last Saturday, there is now a requirement for everyone to be registered via the Check In CBR app. You can read about it and download it (if you haven’t already) here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.gov.act.health.checkin&hl=en_AU&gl=US

Don’t worry if you don’t have it – we can add you to our phones.

Here is what we have for the rest of this month.

March 25 The Canberra Mandolin Orchestra

Formed in 2003, the CMO brings together players of mandolin, mandola, mandocello, guitar and bass. It keeps alive the rich tradition of the mandolin groups that emerged in the first couple of decades of the 20th century. The CMO’s repertoire is very wide showing the versatility of its musicians. They have played in the High Court, at Government House and at the National Folk Festival and we have been privileged to have them perform for us many times.

Spiral is a community group which has been meeting for morning teas in Curtin for over fifty years. We aren’t incorporated, we don’t have committees or membership forms or joining fees. You can come to any meeting that interests you. We don’t even have a website! We meet in the hall at the St James Uniting Church at 40 Gillies Street, Curtin between 10.00 am and noon every Thursday. There is no religious nature to our meetings and our members come from varied backgrounds, occupations and origins. We are mostly retired, aged from our 60s to our 90s but we won’t turn you away if you are younger or older. We ask you to arrive by 10.00 am so that we can start our ‘entertainment’ as soon as possible after that. The entertainment is either a guest speaker, sometimes in a conversation format, or a musical performance. We aim to serve a fresh, mainly home-made, morning tea at 11.00 (sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later) and we aim to finish at midday.

We welcome new faces and I ask you to share this newsletter with anyone you think might be interested. If you no longer want to receive these newsletters please let me know. If you have asked me to remove you from the list and I haven’t done that yet then please remind me. (I apologise, I have been busy).

Please preregister by emailing Brett at yeatsb@iinet.net.au or phoning 0406 37 9119 or emailing Sara at sarawyork@gmail.com or phoning 0419 587 578. You can also contact us if you have any questions about anything to do with this newsletter.

Best wishes,

Brett, on behalf of all of us at Spiral.

Fortnightly News 5/3/2021

Bridge

Tuesday Bridge and Saturday Bridge have resumed. Tuesday at 10.00 am & Saturday at 1.00 pm. Both days are in Hall 2.

Wine boxes for the Book Fair

If anyone has empty six-bottle size wine boxes at home that they do not need we can use them for packing books for the Book Fair. The larger six-bottle size are the best for this purpose. Just bring them in and leave them in the book sorting area in the veranda. If anyone goes to Dan Murphy at Phillip pick up a couple there from the pile at the front of the shop. Just ask them at the checkout if you may take some for Woden Seniors. They are very obliging.

ACT Seniors Weeks 2021

ACT Seniors Weeks was planned for late March but has been cancelled. This includes the Chief Ministers Concert and the Seniors Expo at Epic.

Check In CBR App

The ACT Government has mandated that the Check In CBR App be used by all venues from 6 March 2021. This means that members entering the Club must use the Check In CBR App.

The ‘Check In CBR’ app is a contactless, secure and convenient way for members to sign into the Woden Seniors Club.

The app helps protect the community by assisting with faster contact tracing. The app enables individuals to check-in to venues and have this data stored securely with ACT Health in the event contact tracing is needed due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the community.

Use of the app will help the ACT Health contact tracing team quickly identify and assist anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency non-essential businesses and undertakings are required by law to ask for the first name and phone number of people who attend their venue. Use of this app enables businesses to comply with these laws.

Download the App

5 step process to download and use the app:

(Internet connection and compatible phone or tablet device required)

1. Download the Check In CBR App from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
2. Register your details (required for the first time only).
3. At participating venues, open the app, select ‘Check In Now’ and hover your smartphone over the displayed QR code.
4. Add in any additional people – those who are with you without their own device or app.
5. When the check-in is complete, show venue staff the app successful check in screen.

Spiral News Dear Spirallers, What a year we have had since our last Spiral morning tea! The last time we met was on 12 March 2020 when we were lucky enough to have Dame Annette King from the New Zealand High Commission join us. That was a very special way to finish. As proof that the world is making progress in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, not only are vaccines on their way but Spiral is returning. Yes, we have permission to gather again in the hall at St James Uniting Church in Curtin and we are restarting on Thursday 4 March at 10.00 am. It won’t be quite the same but then again, we are all now getting used to a new normal. There will be changes – you can read some of them in the attached Spiral Covid plan. You can also read the St James Covid plan and the conditions we must abide by Here are some of the main issues that will affect you. You are asked to preregister your attendance by notifying me (Brett Yeats) or Sara York by email or phone – our contact details are at the bottom of this newsletter. This is not compulsory as there will be a sign in sheet at the hall when you arrive. We will ask you to register in the hall using the Check In CBR app if you can. We will try to minimise risks by social distancing as best we can and by reducing mingling. St James has asked us to seat four people per table until further notice. Food and beverages will be served to you individually rather than sharing platters of sandwiches and cakes We will have lots to catch up on. I hope you have coped OK with the isolation and with missing friends and family and I’m sure I’m not the only one saying “how lucky we are to be living in Canberra”. It has been so long – will we recognise each other? I’ve turned 70 while we’ve been suspended and I’ve put on weight and grown a beard. I’m looking forward to seeing you and hearing from you. Let me announce our first month’s activities. March 11 James Thompson World War 2 from a child’s perspective Jim was born in Jarrow, near Newcastle in County Durham in 1932. He will describe the hardships of the depression era in northern England and then talk about the terrors of the nightly bombings in this part of Britain which was the heart of manufacturing for the war effort. Then he will tell us about what brought him to Australia and his life after that. March 18 Dr Alan Roberts Reverend William Robert Wake 1755 – 1830 Wake had a very interesting career that revealed how strange the Anglican Church was. He was a round peg in a square hole, too liberal for his time and profession. His highlight was Bath in the 1790s but he was tempted by the offer of a valuable living in rural Essex. Enemies alleged he had cheated the previous incumbent out of it. He fell foul of his superiors, culminating in the Archbishop of Canterbury sacking him. The story finishes with a strong Australian connection. March 25 The Canberra Mandolin Orchestra Formed in 2003, the CMO brings together players of mandolin, mandola, mandocello, guitar and bass. It keeps alive the rich tradition of the mandolingroups that emerged in the firstcouple ofdecades of the 20th century. The CMO’s repertoire is very wide showing the versatility of its musicians. They have played in the High Court, at Government House and at the National Folk Festival and we have been privileged to have them perform for us many times. A reminder of who Spiral is and what we do. Spiral is a community group which has been meeting for morning teas in Curtin for over fifty years. We aren’t incorporated, we don’t have committees or membership forms or joining fees. You can come to any meeting that interests you. We don’t even have a website! We meet in the hall at the St James Uniting Church at 40 Gillies Street, Curtin between 10.00 am and noon every Thursday. There is no religious nature to our meetings and our members come from varied backgrounds, occupations and origins. We are mostly retired, aged from our 60s to our 90s but we won’t turn you away if you are younger or older. We do ask that you make a gold coin donation when you attend. We ask you to arrive by 10.00 am so that we can start our ‘entertainment’ as soon as possible after that. The entertainment is either a guest speaker, sometimes in a conversation format, or a musical performance. We aim to serve a fresh, mainly home-made, morning tea at 11.00 (sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later) and we aim to finish at midday. We welcome new faces and I ask you to share this newsletter with anyone you think might be interested. Please preregister by emailing Brett at yeatsb or phoning 0406 37 9119 or emailing Sara at sarawyork or phoning 0419 587 578. You can also contact us if you have any questions about anything to do with this newsletter.

Fortnightly News 19/2/2021

Tuesday Bridge

Tuesday Bridge will recommence on Tuesday 2nd March starting at 10.00 am.

Saturday Bridge

Saturday Bridge has resumed at 1.00 pm in Hall 2.

Wine boxes for the Book Fair

If anyone has empty six-bottle size wine boxes at home that they do not need we can use them for packing books for the Book Fair. The larger six-bottle size are the best for this purpose. Just bring them in and leave them in the book sorting area in the veranda. If anyone goes to Dan Murphy at Phillip pick up a couple there from the pile at the front of the shop. Just ask them at the checkout if you may take some for Woden Seniors. They are very obliging.

ACT Seniors Weeks 2021

ACT Seniors Weeks was planned for late March but has been cancelled. This includes the Chief Ministers Concert and the Seniors Expo at Epic.

Check In CBR App

The ‘Check In CBR’ app is a contactless, secure and convenient way for members to sign into the Woden Seniors Club.

The app helps protect the community by assisting with faster contact tracing. The app enables individuals to check-in to venues and have this data stored securely with ACT Health in the event contact tracing is needed due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the community.

Use of the app will help the ACT Health contact tracing team quickly identify and assist anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency non-essential businesses and undertakings are required by law to ask for the first name and phone number of people who attend their venue. Use of this app enables businesses to comply with these laws.

Download the App

5 step process to download and use the app:

(Internet connection and compatible phone or tablet device required)

1. Download the Check In CBR App from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
2. Register your details (required for the first time only).
3. At participating venues, open the app, select ‘Check In Now’ and hover your smartphone over the displayed QR code.
4. Add in any additional people – those who are with you without their own device or app.

When the check-in is complete, show venue staff the app successful check in screen. Spiral News Dear Spirallers, What a year we have had since our last Spiral morning tea! The last time we met was on 12 March 2020 when we were lucky enough to have Dame Annette King from the New Zealand High Commission join us. That was a very special way to finish. As proof that the world is making progress in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, not only are vaccines on their way but Spiral is returning. Yes, we have permission to gather again in the hall at St James Uniting Church in Curtin and we are restarting on Thursday 4 March at 10.00 am. It won’t be quite the same but then again, we are all now getting used to a new normal. There will be changes – you can read some of them in the attached Spiral Covid plan. You can also read the St James Covid plan and the conditions we must abide by Here are some of the main issues that will affect you. You are asked to preregister your attendance by notifying me (Brett Yeats) or Sara York by email or phone – our contact details are at the bottom of this newsletter. This is not compulsory as there will be a sign in sheet at the hall when you arrive. We will ask you to register in the hall using the Check In CBR app if you can. We will try to minimise risks by social distancing as best we can and by reducing mingling. St James has asked us to seat four people per table until further notice. Food and beverages will be served to you individually rather than sharing platters of sandwiches and cakes We will have lots to catch up on. I hope you have coped OK with the isolation and with missing friends and family and I’m sure I’m not the only one saying “how lucky we are to be living in Canberra”. It has been so long – will we recognise each other? I’ve turned 70 while we’ve been suspended and I’ve put on weight and grown a beard. I’m looking forward to seeing you and hearing from you. Let me announce our first month’s activities. March 4 David Royds Australian Wildlife Conservancy David will talk about the work he did in 2019 at Newhaven in the Tanami Desert, west of Alice Springs with the Ngalia-Warlpiri/Luritja people. These people are the traditional owners of 262,000 hectares of rugged ranges, salt lakes and sand plains. David has wonderful photographs of the landscape and the many unique animals threatened with extinction by feral pests. March 11 James Thompson World War 2 from a child’s perspective Jim was born in Jarrow, near Newcastle in County Durham in 1932. He will describe the hardships of the depression era in northern England and then talk about the terrors of the nightly bombings in this part of Britain which was the heart of manufacturing for the war effort. Then he will tell us about what brought him to Australia and his life after that. March 18 Dr Alan Roberts Reverend William Robert Wake 1755 – 1830 Wake had a very interesting career that revealed how strange the Anglican Church was. He was a round peg in a square hole, too liberal for his time and profession. His highlight was Bath in the 1790s but he was tempted by the offer of a valuable living in rural Essex. Enemies alleged he had cheated the previous incumbent out of it. He fell foul of his superiors, culminating in the Archbishop of Canterbury sacking him. The story finishes with a strong Australian connection. March 25 The Canberra Mandolin Orchestra Formed in 2003, the CMO brings together players of mandolin, mandola, mandocello, guitar and bass. It keeps alive the rich tradition of the mandolingroups that emerged in the firstcouple ofdecades of the 20th century. The CMO’s repertoire is very wide showing the versatility of its musicians. They have played in the High Court, at Government House and at the National Folk Festival and we have been privileged to have them perform for us many times. A reminder of who Spiral is and what we do. Spiral is a community group which has been meeting for morning teas in Curtin for over fifty years. We aren’t incorporated, we don’t have committees or membership forms or joining fees. You can come to any meeting that interests you. We don’t even have a website! We meet in the hall at the St James Uniting Church at 40 Gillies Street, Curtin between 10.00 am and noon every Thursday. There is no religious nature to our meetings and our members come from varied backgrounds, occupations and origins. We are mostly retired, aged from our 60s to our 90s but we won’t turn you away if you are younger or older. We do ask that you make a gold coin donation when you attend. We ask you to arrive by 10.00 am so that we can start our ‘entertainment’ as soon as possible after that. The entertainment is either a guest speaker, sometimes in a conversation format, or a musical performance. We aim to serve a fresh, mainly home-made, morning tea at 11.00 (sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later) and we aim to finish at midday. We welcome new faces and I ask you to share this newsletter with anyone you think might be interested. Please preregister by emailing Brett at yeatsb or phoning 0406 37 9119 or emailing Sara at sarawyork or phoning 0419 587 578. You can also contact us if you have any questions about anything to do with this newsletter.

Fortnightly News 5/2/2021

Saturday Bridge

Saturday Bridge will recommence this Saturday 6 February starting at 1pm.

Book Fair Help

Let’s hope this year brings better times for the Club. As most members know we were unable to hold our Book Fair in 2020. We are hoping to hold one later this year to give the Club’s finances a much needed boost.

Donations of books, DVDs, CDs etc. keep rolling in so we will have plenty of stock.

We do need more helpers to process the donations. At present we have two groups who sort, clean, categorise and pack the books etc. namely on Wednesday and Friday mornings.

We are also starting a Monday afternoon group from 1.45 pm to 3.45 pm. If you are interested in helping at any of these times please come along any Monday afternoon and talk to Judy about how you would like to help. We can find a job that fits your interests and physical capability.

The WOW Art Group

The Watercolour on Wednesday Art Group has a new exhibition of members’ paintings in the foyer and the Anne Murray Room.

Check In CBR App

The Check In CBR app is a contactless, secure and convenient way for members to sign into the Woden Seniors Club.

The app helps protect the community by assisting with faster contact tracing. The app enables individuals to check-in to venues and have this data stored securely with ACT Health in the event contact tracing is needed due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the community.

Use of the app will help the ACT Health contact tracing team quickly identify and assist anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 public health emergency non-essential businesses and undertakings are required by law to ask for the first name and phone number of people who attend their venue. Use of this app enables businesses to comply with these laws.

Download the App

5 step process to download and use the app:

(Internet connection and compatible phone or tablet device required)

1. Download the Check In CBR App from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
2. Register your details (required for the first time only).
3. At participating venues, open the app, select ‘Check In Now’ and hover your smartphone over the displayed QR code.
4. Add in any additional people – those who are with you without their own device or app.
5. When the check-in is complete, show venue staff the app successful check in screen.