Fortnightly News 24/7/2015
2nd BIG BOOK FAIR – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
The Second BIG Book Fair will be held on Friday 7 August from 11 am to 6 pm, Saturday 8 August from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday 9 August from 10 am to 4 pm.
With just 2 weeks to go, we are drawing up a roster of helpers for a variety of tasks before and during the big event. Please let Polly know if you can help.
We plan to work on 3 shifts per day … morning, noon and afternoon … shifts of about 2-3 hours each. Tasks include: front desk - sales desk - patrolling and restocking tables - and most importantly, the tea/coffee stall. We are also having a cake stall so all your baking contributions will be much appreciated.
We want to encourage as many people as possible to come to the Book Fair and we have already started to publicise it through major media outlets and on Woden Seniors website www.wodenseniors.org.au. In the next few weeks we will be making a concerted effort to get the message out to a wide range of media outlets.
As a member of Woden Seniors you can help to get the message out at a more local level by:
· Asking your friends and family to put the dates of the Second BIG Book Fair in their calendars
· Posting the dates and times of the Second BIG Book Fair on your Facebook page. You can post it as a public event.
· Asking local organisations in which you are involved e.g. Church, schools, Bowling Club, Golf Club etc. to put the details of the Second BIG Book Fair in their newsletters.
Social Ball Room Dancing
We had the first session of the Social Ballroom Dancing group at 1pm last Monday afternoon with 12 people participating. We had a lot of fun. Karen, the instructor is away today and Monday (27 July) so the next instructional session is on Friday 31 July from 2pm to 4pm, and then the following Monday (3 August) from 1pm to 3pm and each Monday thereafter. Newcomers are welcome, it is easy to join at this stage.
The Club has received an ACT Government grant to help develop a cohort of people that are interested in learning to dance and/or teach and participate in a regular social dance activity within the Club. The grant will be used to fund the services of a professional dance instructor to both teach specific dances and to train people within the cohort how to teach those basic dance steps. The dances may comprise Slow Movement, Rhumba, Cha Cha, rock and roll or Jive and Waltz. It is envisaged that this instructional activity will run from mid-July through to November 2015. It would then be up to the group to take the activity forward.
We are particularly looking for couples that have some dance experience to help lead this group. If you are interested in participating please let Polly know.
A WOW Exhibition
The “Watercolour on Wednesday” Art Group (W O W) that meets at Woden Seniors every Wednesday morning, will hold an exhibition of work in the Gallery at the Hellenic Club, Woden from 28 June until 31 July. All paintings will be for sale and 10% commission on sales will be donated to a local charity.
Wheel Clamping
We have wheel clamped two non-member cars this week whose owners have persisted in parking in the Woden Seniors car park despite repeated requests not to. Seeing the wheel clamped car prompted one member to enquire as to the legality of wheel clamping cars in the ACT. We have received advice from the ACT Government indicating that there is no impediment to the Club wheel clamping cars in the Woden Seniors car park.
Need A Doctor That Comes To You At Night Or On Weekends?
The NATIONAL HOME DOCTOR SERVICE is a network of qualified doctors that provides bulk-billed after hours medical care to patients in their homes and in aged care facilities. Australia’s largest network of home visiting doctors. From 4pm weekdays, 10am Saturdays, all day Sunday and public holidays. Call 137425.
Accessible Public Transport
The Community Transport Coordination Centre
The Community Transport Coordination Centre is a central point where residents can access alternative public transport options, including the newly developed Flexible Bus Service. If you require assistance with community public transport, please call the Coordination Centre on (02) 6205 3555. The Centre is open Monday – Friday, 9.00am – 4.00pm.
Flexible Bus Service
The Flexible Bus Service is available to Canberra residents who have limited access to public transport options. It is a basic bus service that is localised to particular zones.
Designed specifically for residents such as the aged or people with a disability, the Flexible Bus Service is a free service which operates off a basic timetable, picking up residents from their home and taking them to local community service providers such as local shopping centres and hospitals. The fleet of minibuses is wheelchair accessible.
The service is assessed on a case-by-case basis. To qualify, you may be asked if you comply with the following criteria:
· seniors card holders with mobility issues
· seniors card holders aged 70 or over
· living in a nursing home and/or retirement village
· impacted by a permanent or temporary disability that prevents you from accessing regular route services
· holders of a Vision Impaired (VIP), or Total and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI) travel pass.
Carers with a valid carers card are welcome to travel. If you are a carer or need your carer to accompany you on the bus please let the operator know at the time of booking.
To book the bus please phone 6205 3555. An operator will take your details or assist you in finding alternative options. Bookings can also be made via email to flexiblebusservice Bookings must be made two days prior to travel. There is no same day service. Pick up of passengers from suburbs around particular zones commence at 9.30am and return trips start promptly at 1.30pm.
Spiral Program Update
Spiral meet at 10am to mid day each Thursday morning for a cuppa and a talk at St James Uniting Church, Curtin.
30 July Ian Wallis
“Real travel by bicycle”. Ian, a Visiting Fellow in the Research School of Biology at the ANU has cycled in very remote (and high) parts of the world.
6 August Daryl Karp
Daryl is Director at the Museum of Australian Democracy (you might remember it better as Old Parliament House).
13 August barb barnett
Barb returns to tell us about Repertory’s next production, Gaslight which runs from 31 July to 15 August.
20 August Julie Devlin and Helga White
Julie Devlin (Customer Care Officer) and Helga White (Executive Manager of Services) are from DUO, an organisation which provides personal care and home support helping people to stay independent and to extend freedom to live how and where you choose.
27 August The Heartbeats
Return of the always popular David, Jim, Robin and Margaret at the piano with a wide range of fun music and song.
For more information, please contact Gwenyth George on 6286 5004, Sue Murray on 6281 6974 or Brett Yeats on 6281 7684 or at yeatsb.
myGov Website
myGov is a fast and simple way to access federal Government services online, including Centrelink, Medicare, your eHealth record and the Australian Taxation Office.
If you are finding it difficult to set-up your myGov account, one of our members reports that the helpdesk on 132 307 select option 1 is very helpful and will talk you through the process.
University of the 3rd Age/COTA Forums on Again
Each year the University of the 3rd Age and COTA (ACT) collaborate in organising a popular program of forums for older Canberrans, running from June to October. This year’s forums are on topics as diverse as mature-aged employment, climate change, the Iraq war and enjoyable ageing. Come along and hear from our expert, funny, engaging and thought-provoking speakers. You can find a link to the Program here.
MoneySmart
The MoneySmart website provides information to help people make smart choices about their personal finances. It is created and run by ASIC (the financial services regulator, an independent agency of the Australian Government). More information
Energy Made Easy
Energy Made Easy is a government website run by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) which helps you compare energy offers in your area and understand and compare your energy usage. More details
Safety And Fraud Awareness
Beware of scam emails promising ATO refunds: Alert High Priority
Australians are reminded to be wary of scam emails that use the Australian Government and Australian Taxation Office logos to mislead the email recipient into thinking they are receiving a tax refund.
Clues that identify emails as scams include an incorrect sender address, poor grammar, inappropriate requests, a failure to address the recipient by name and the promise of money.
The ATO states that any message requesting more information before a refund can be released, is a hoax. If you receive a tax related scam message forward it to reportemailfraud and then delete it immediately from your system. For more information please visit Stay Smart Online:http://www.staysmartonline.gov.au/your_identity/avoiding_scams_and_hoaxes
Justice of the Peace
You will find Maureen in the Anne Murray room on Tuesdays between 10.30am and 2pm for Justice of the Peace matters.