Senior Citizens to Celebrate Milestone

(Contributed)
To recognise 65 years of continuous service the Donald Senior Citizens Club will be holding an Open Day in October and will feature a special afternoon tea to celebrate – free to all comers. 

 We will be showcasing all of our activities – 500, Indoor Bowls, Snooker, Bridge and Rummykins. Members have been asked to bring a friend along, so if you happen to be invited by one of our friendly members please accept and trundle along. And if you haven’t been personally tapped to attend, it’s even more important that you come – you’ll be made all the more welcome; we’d love to see you.

We’re looking to boost club membership and increase participation across all activities through this event, so please make the effort to join in – you won’t be disappointed.

Most Popular
The game of 500 is said to be Australia’s national card game and it happens to be the Club’s most popular activity. We have a core of skilled players who are more than willing to impart the secrets of their talent to those new to the game as well as to those looking to recover childhood memories of it. Even though there is a slight hint of competitiveness the emphasis is firmly on having fun and the comical banter that accompanies it borders on the hysterical as our newest recruits, Yvonne and Alma, will readily attest to. 

The 500 tables seem to split fairly evenly to a ladies’ table and a gentlemen’s table with a variable 3, 4, 5 and 6 players per table. Sadly, when one or more of the ladies are asked to make up numbers for the gentlemen’s table they tend to bring the bad habits learnt at the Ladies table with them. Let’s make it clear – trumping a gentleman’s off-suit Ace is not accepted practice (Jenny Dennis in particular – take note!) especially not against me, despite the fact that I’m not generally considered to be gentlemanly. I must remind you all, table manners are of the utmost importance when taking a seat at the gentlemen’s table.

Worst Hand
We have developed a parallel competition for the worst 500 hand, the absolute worst of which has been published previously in these columns but is worth repeating if only for the sake of silencing those whingers out there who complain endlessly about the bad hands they’ve been dealt. Dale Funcke was lucky (?) enough to be dealt the pathetic array pictured on this page. However, and Dale is not about to EVER let us forget, he actually won a Trick as a Club was led out when Spades were Trumps. We all still laugh about it but none more than Dale himself. Despite many paltry attempts, nobody has been able to come up with a worse hand – it’s going to take something very special to top it.

Worst Kitty
And now we’ve launched another parallel competition – the worst 500 Kitty! And Barry Hepworth has laid claim to it with his offering (see photo). It would probably have been worse if Barry had bid Diamonds but logistically and numerically, No Trumps seems more appropriate. We were all laughing so much when he shared the contents of Kitty that nobody really remembers whether or not he made his 6 No Trump contract but knowing Barry, he probably did!

Ageing fingers, hands and arms experience difficulty sorting and holding a fistful of cards. Having identified the need for a specific type of cardholder at the Club, the members of the Donald Men’s Shed, under the guidance of esteemed former Senior Citizen, the late Keith Smith, designed and manufactured the expertly crafted holders you see pictured. The baton has now passed to Barry Hepworth, who is using improved materials and techniques. They have greater functionality than any commercially available cardholders – curved, with a higher shield for privacy from prying eyes and greater stability plus a larger holding capacity, perfect for both 500 and Bridge or for any other card game you care to think of. 

And now the Men’s Shed has been commissioned by the Warracknabeal Senior Citizens Club to produce some for their members. I reckon the Men’s Shed should patent them, a great money-spinner with a ready market! Ideal for clubs or for card play at home – enquiries can be directed to either the Donald Men’s Shed or the Senior Citizens. And we’re delighted to have been part of the process that identified the need and contributed to the design requirements.   

Snooker
Snooker is a precision game and, when played on a full-size table, even the slightest errors are magnified exponentially. The flipside being that when you happen to hit the cue ball perfectly it’s quite exhilarating. 

Snooker has much in common with the putting component of golf – it requires total concentration and control. If it doesn’t feel “right” you need to step away to reset and re-focus. Taking time to ensure eye and hand are in perfect lockstep – a rushed shot usually results in a flubbed shot. Visualisation, imagining the ball rolling all the way to the hole before disappearing, is also key to success. 

Peter Barbetti has notched up successive “C” grade golf championships on the back of these disciplines. Peter and Bruce can’t believe their good fortune ­­– to have exclusive use of a perfect full-size billiard table. Finding themselves to be fairly evenly matched, they need to find some new competition to determine whether they’re as good as they think they are. Roll up your sleeves if you think you can provide them with the necessary yardstick, but I doubt either of them will welcome any reality check.

In the current climate of high inflation and ever-rising prices, the Donald Senior Citizens have held their capped annual membership fees at $5 and afternoon tea at 50c – all down to prudent fiduciary management. What we offer is deluxe entertainment at bargain basement prices.

Further Open Day details to follow closer to October.