Pole walking burns more calories, encourages core strength and has the added social benefits as a group activity.
Come and have a go and join the Seniors Recreation Council of WA Inc Greater Geraldton Branch for a social pole walking morning on Saturday 12 July at 8:30am Meet near the Jaffle Shack, Forrest Street. Spare poles are available for anyone wanting to have a go, stay for a coffee if you wish after the walk
The group meet on a regular basis every Wednesday morning at the Centre 8:30 to 9:30am so you are most welcome to join in. And best of all its free?
Centre updates
Dear Centre Users
Following are a few changes in our regular programs:
Temporary Breaks:
• Art Group – No classes on 11 & 18 July
• ESL (English as a Second Language) – No classes on 11 & 18 July
• Switched on Seniors – No classes on 10 & 17 July
• Zumba – No classes on 10 & 17 July
Program Cancellation:
From Thursday, 1 July African Drumming Classes on Thursday mornings are cancelled. Tuesday evening Classes, 7 to 8pm will continue.
Changes
Balance Gym Classes are now limited to 50 participants to ensure those at most risk of falls are given priority. We understand many are keen to keep fit however Over 50’s Gentle Gym participants are ineligible for the Balance Gym.
Please note: Participants can only attend one class per day.
The QEII Seniors & Community Centre is provided by the City of Greater Geraldton and funded by the State Government through the Department of Communities
Basket Weaving Workshop
with Priscilla Papertalk
QEII Seniors & Community Centre
Tuesday 15 July 2025
9.30am – 11.30am
$5 per person
Limited spots available Bookings essential!
Contact the QEII Centre on 9956 6636 to reserve your place
RECIPES FRM THE HEART
Self-Saucing Lemon Pudding
This zesty recipe is perfect for citrus season! The warm lemony sauce that magically forms underneath the sponge is delicous
INGREDIENTS
1 cup self-raising flour
½ cup sugar
1 lemon, zest only (use the juice in the sauce)
½ cup milk, warmed
2 tablespoons butter (melted and mixed in with the warm milk)
The sauce
¼ cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
½ cup lemon juice, (2 to 3 lemons)
METHOD
1. Pre-heat the oven to 355F /180C (note this is for a fan oven – if you have a conventional oven increase to 390F/200C). Grease a medium sized high-sided baking dish with butter.
2. Mix together the flour, sugar and lemon zest in a medium bowl.
3. Pour the milk / butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
4. Empty the batter into the baking dish.
5. Mix the sauce ingredients together, then carefully pour over the batter in the baking dish. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the sauce starting to bubble around the sides.
6. Take out of the oven, then leave for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken slightly before serving.
7. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve immediately.
Balance Gym Notice
Note to all participants
WACRH will not be available to facilitate the Balance Gym program from 27th June to the 5 August (inclusive) and the program will not run during this time frame.
The first session back will be on Wednesday 6 August.
We apologise for the inconvenience this causes, and we hope you can continue to remain active during this time.
Snippets of My Life
With Heidi Stinson
Interestingly, I was briefly a “Snippet” myself. Firstly, in a refugee family in 1945, back in Austria. Secondly, as a small 10-year-old immigrant to England without English. I disgraced us all at the airport by throwing up in the back seat of the brand-new flash car of my mother’ s new boss. Happily, she retained her job.
I learned English fast, passed my 11+, acquired French and Latin and my first of 3 teaching degrees. I emerged in 1964 as an “emancipated woman” mountain and rock climber, folk singer and hitchhiker with the college boys for years. No more “Snippet”! Here my inherent love for nature blossomed and continued in Australia later.
Growing up in two cultures and travelling kindled a passion for working for the environment, the “disadvantaged” and music therapy. Hence after immigrating to Australia in 1968 I worked in supportive fields, e.g. pioneering the “First Steps” scheme, Special Education and alternative schooling. Many students succeeded self confidently by producing films, plays, musicals, running school radio stations etc
A single mum in the 1980’s, my friends were similar and sociable, It was an extremely exciting time. Teaching in Denham, whilst documenting the Shark Bay World Heritage nomination process, I met my American singer/songwriter/ performer/ husband to be, whilst obtaining my Honours degree in Ecology and Philosophy (coincidently my daughter also married an American)
After our marriage in 1992, new directions- I bungy jumped, skydived, re-vegetated bush land, bush walked and took up painting. We publicly performed as professional clowns/ musicians in original Children’s stage shows. We travelled widely and became highly successful Bed & Breakfast owners for 26 years – despite cyclone Seroja damage. Now retire music is stills strong and our interest remain, thought to a lesser degree.
Clothes Swap – 17 June 2025
The event was lots of fun with over 100 people walking away with fresh new wardrobes! A massive thank you to everyone who donated, joined us on the day, and brought such great energy. An extra-special shoutout to our amazing volunteers. We couldn’t have done it without you! We were thrilled to receive so many positive comments about the event.
“Great event, great way of recycling, such a fantastic idea! When’s the next one?”
Clothes swap volunteers Left to right – Gloria, Jean, Pat and Jean
Switched On Seniors
Geraldton
switchedonseniorsgeraldton@gmail.com
Facebook: Geraldton Switched on Seniors
Telephone 0474 639 961
Hi to you all. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleague Anne for taking the continuous class while I was away in Sydney in June. The classes were combined, and we continued learning about what we can do with our photos. We covered the following:
• How to take a good photo
• All about Editing
• Making our old photographs digital
• Creating and using Albums
• Grouping Albums
As you can imagine, this was great fun whilst learning the process and hopefully the students will continue to organise their photos going forward. We have places vacant in our beginner’s class now as the new students join with the continuous class. Please contact us if you would like to join us. The Beginner’s class is held on Thursday mornings at 9 am to 10 am and we would love to meet you.
The topic “What to do when your home Internet drops out” will be presented in June, this topic, which includes a video clip, allows students to have an understanding of what the function of a “Router” is, including what to do if it ‘drops out’.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
It is extremely important that we all update our software on our devices. Failing to do so will result in our devices not working properly and may affect our safety online. So, when you receive a notification that says Software Update, please do it as soon as you can. If you don’t know how to do this, we are happy to help. Just give us a call
School holidays are upon us once again, commencing 05th of July to the 20th of July (inclusive). Our classes will recommence on Thursday the 24th of July at 9 am to 10 am.. Our One-to-One sessions, by appointment, will recommence on the 22nd of July. Stay tuned for more interesting topics to be presented in the future. Have a great break. Take care and be safe online.
Please contact us on 0474 639 961 if you wish to join or visit either of our classes and for one-to-one appointments on Tuesday mornings
Your phone, your style…..
Poetry Workshops
Six Poetry Workshops facilitated by Lorraine Chapman were recently held at the centre and judging by all the positive feedback they were thoroughly enjoyed by all participants with a one person commenting it really took them out of their comfort zone. in a good way)
Trish Eoghain summed it up perfectly in the following poem she wrote after attending the sessions:
THE GROUP
An assembly, a branch, a batch or a muster An assortment, battalion, bundle or cluster. A brigade, a committee, a huddle, a mass But a lovely community, our poetry class.
The Seniors Action Group invite you to their
42nd Birthday Celebration Lunch!
Come and enjoy great food, live entertainment and raffles as we celebrate the wonderful community we’ve built together over the years.
Saturday 19 July
QEII Seniors & Community Centre
10am for morning tea. 12 noon for lunch
Menu:
Entree: Choice of Prawn Cocktail or Ham & veggie tart with salad garnish.
Main: Roast Pork with Apple Sauce & Gravy, roast potatoes, pumpkin, beans and peas.
Sweets: Sticky Date Pudding with caramel sauce & ice cream.
Cost: $35 for Members, $40 for Non-Members.
Please RSVP by placing your name on the list in the Upper Hall or contact Trevor Hansen on 0498 999 406
New faces are always welcome so bring a friend.
Seniors Action Group
Hope you’re all keeping well and warm this winter. July is shaping up to be another wonderful month filled with great company, delicious food, and a touch of community spirit. July’s birth flower is the larkspur, symbolising lightness and an open heart.
The birthstone for July is the ruby, representing strength, vitality, and love qualities that shine through in everything we do.
Our General Meeting was Tuesday 10th July, with President Trevor Hansen kindly opening the session, previous meeting minutes read with 6 Committee and 26 members in attendance, bringing warmth and good energy to the room.
Congratulations card winners - Pat Parker & Olga Miragliotta.
Val sent one Thinking of you card and one Get well card
We were pleased to welcome 4 new members.
We had the pleasure of hearing from guest speaker AdvoCare Advocate Karen Noble on the important topic of elder abuse awareness and prevention.
Karen’s talk was both engaging and empowering reminding us elder abuse can take many forms, emotional, financial, physical, and neglect and happen to anyone.
She provided practical advice on recognising signs, how to support someone experiencing abuse and seeking help.
After the meeting, we enjoyed a hearty lunch of rissoles, mashed potatoes & vegetables followed by a delicious trifle. A big thank you to our wonderful kitchen volunteers and helpers, who made the meal so enjoyable, your efforts never go unnoticed.
“A Little Help Goes a Long Way” Committee Members Wanted.
Do you have spare time, a few ideas, or just a willingness to lend a hand?
We are currently seeking new committee members to join the Seniors Action Group team. Whether you’re a natural organiser, a friendly face at events, or just want to be more involved in your
community we’d love to have you on board.
No experience needed just a positive attitude and a heart for helping.
If you’re interested or have questions, please speak to a current committee member.
Your Invited to our 42nd Birthday Celebration Lunch!
Saturday 19 July marks 42 wonderful years of the Seniors Action Group and we’re celebrating in style with a special birthday lunch!
10am for morning tea & 12 noon for lunch at the QEII Centre.
Entree: Choice of Prawn Cocktail or Ham & veggie tart with salad garnish.
Main: Roast Pork with Apple Sauce & Gravy, roast potatoes, pumpkin, beans and peas.
Sweets: Sticky Date Pudding
with caramel sauce & ice cream.
Cost: $35 for Members, $40 for Non-Members.
Come and enjoy great food, live entertainment and raffles as we celebrate the wonderful community we’ve built together over the years.
Please RSVP by placing your name on the list in the Upper Hall or contact
Trevor Hansen on 0498 999 406
As always, we’ll enjoy a tasty meal and plenty of laughter. Take care of yourselves and each other and remember new faces are always welcome so bring a friend.
Dates for your Diary:
7 July at 10:30am - Committee Meeting
19 July at 10am - 10am morning tea,12pm Celebration
Pensioners Social Club
The first cooler day had arrived as we headed in with cardigans on into our monthly get together, to have a warm cup of tea before the meeting started. President Val Brown welcomed us warmly. As always Pat read notes from last month’s meeting and Lyn assured us our financial situation is back on track, and we can pay the $50 deposit for our planned bus trip to Kalbarri in July.
Val explained the Kalbarri trip is the 24th of July, leaving Geraldton at 8 am. Hopefully we will all wake up in time for this special occasion we’re all looking forward to. Our bus is fully booked, so we must all have the need to get away (a day out of town)
After we sang Elaine a happy birthday song, we had the raffles and some people were lucky to win more than one prize.
Val, introduced our guest speaker for the day, Vicky, a Geraldton Regional Hospital physio who was a fit young woman. We learned how important exercises are to keep us on our feet as we age, and soon were all standing straight and testing how good our balance was - right foot in front of left foot and hold for a minute. We
were surprised how many of us were not able to do it!
We were starting to shake and put one hand on the chair for safety. Then it was left foot in front of right foot, my neighbors started moving away from their chairs, trying to prove to be fit enough to do the exercise without holding on to something but only a few were able to do it. We tested hand strength with a Dynamometer. How lucky were we if we made it up to 20 and the advice to exercise daily for half an hour, walking, swimming or home exercises are all important. Use it or lose it! We went home with good intentions, all of us
sure Vicky was right with her encouragement to try to stay on our feet and do the ½ hour a day to save our mobility. We thank her for the visit; she made the morning interesting.
As always, our chef cooked a beautiful lunch of meat loaf, mashed potatoes, peas & carrots and by the time sweets arrived we’d had more than enough good food for the day.
I thank you all for reading my reports and since this will be my last effort I hope someone will be generous enough to take over from me.
Enjoy your trip to Kalbarri.
Scored a bargain on a new TV, washing machine or fridge lately? But with the purchase often comes the question, “would you like to add an extended warranty?”
It might sound like a smart move for extra peace of mind in case something goes wrong. But before you hand over more money, it’s worth taking a closer look at what you’re really getting. Because in many cases, the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) may already cover you.
The ACL entitles you to have a faulty product repaired or replaced, or you can even get a refund or compensation (depending on whether the fault is a ‘major’ or ‘minor’ failure). You have these ACL entitlements, regardless of any extended warranty, and even if the manufacturer’s warranty has expired. Be wary of any retailer that tells you otherwise.
Effectively, an extended warranty could mean you’re paying for cover you’re already getting.
Ask the salesperson to explain the actual benefits beyond your automatic, and free, ACL rights to a refund, product replacement, or repair. It is illegal for a retailer to mislead you into buying an extended
warranty for rights you already have under the ACL.
Ask if call-out fees are extra under the extended warranty. Are labour and installation costs extra? Are you limited to the repairer you can use if something goes wrong with your item? Compare the cost of the warranty against the cost of your item. Remember that you already have rights under Australia’s consumer laws, whether or not you buy an extended warranty.
Always check the rules, as some claims during the manufacturer’s warranty could cancel the extended warranty that you paid extra for.
Stay alert to high pressure sales tactics sometimes used to convince to you to pay extra for an extended warranty and take note that retailers may also rebrand them as “product care”.
An extended warranty might offer you extra peace of mind, but it might not always deliver the coverage and protection you’re expecting. And if you feel you’re being pressured to purchase an extended warranty, you can contact Consumer Protection on 1300 30 40 54 to report the incident.
MONDAY TUESDAY 8.30 9.30 Pole Walking Free 9.00 10.30 10.00 11.30 Over 50’s Gentle Gym Free WEDNESDAY
11.30 12.30 Parkinson Support Group Free 12.30 4.00 Canasta Free 1.00 3.00 Table Tennis $5.00 *SAG 1.00 4.00 Scrabble Free
*Seniors Action Group *Seniors Action Group
7.00 8.00 Walk Group Free Meet at Two Foreshore 9.00 4.00 11.00 6.00 Pickle Ball Pickle Ball $5.00 $5.00 9.00 1.00 Understanding your hand held device $5.00 Appt only. 9.30 11.30 Dementia Carers Support Group Free 1st Tuesday of the month
9.00 10.00 Switched on Seniors Beginners / Continuation Class Free Bring own device
9.00 11.00 Mahjong Free 8.30 Noon Chat N Do Craft Group Free Not on 1st Thurs of the Month
10.00 12.30 *PSC Meeting 1st Thurs Monthly
12.30 3.45 500 Card Game Free 1.00 4.00 Bingo Books *PSC Bingo 2nd Thursday of Month
1.00 4.00 Rummikub Free 2.00 2.45 Zumba $5.00
FRIDAY *Pensioners Social Club
9.00 Noon Knitters & Crochet Group $0.50 9.00 10.00 Over 50’s Gentle Gym Free 9.00 Noon Art Class $5.00 10.00 Noon Chess Free 10.15 11.15 Rehabilitation Gym Free Referral required
1.00 3.00 English as a 2nd Language Free 1.00 4.00 Euchre & Frustration $5.00 *SAG
500 Card Game
Free
Thursday 12.30pm – 3.45pm
Contact Paula 0408 215 503
African Drumming
Tuesday 7.00pm - 8.00pm
$7 concession $10 waged
Art Class
$5.00
Friday 9.00am – 12noon
No session on 11 & 18 July
Balance Gym
Free
Mondays & Wednesdays
9.15am – 10.00am & 10.30am – 11.15am
No sessions in July
Bingo
Cost of Books
1.00pm – 4.00pm
Proudly run by: Pensioners
Social Club
President 0439 907 455
Canasta
Free
Monday & Wednesdays
12.30pm - 4.00pm
CLASS DETAILS
Caring Cuppa –Bereavement Support Group
Free 3rd Wednesday of each Month 2.00pm –3.00pm
Hosted by Midwest & SJOG
Palliative Care Services
9956 2497 or 9965 8888
Chat N Do Craft Group
Free
Thursday 8.30am – 12noon
Not on First Thursday of the Month
Contact Gloria 0427 170 548 or Tina 0422 397 997
Chess
Free
Friday 10.00am - 12noon
Contact Shirley 9964 9584
Darts
$5.00 Monday 9.00am - 11.00am
Proudly run by: Seniors
Action Group
President 0498 999 406
Dementia Carers Support Group
Free
First Tuesday of the month 9.30am - 11.30am
Contact Nicole 131 151
English as a Second Language Free
Friday 1.00pm – 3.00pm
– Provided by Midwest Multicultural Association
Marnie Ryan 0423 234 475
No session 11 & 18 July
Euchre & Frustration
$5.00
Friday 1.00pm – 4.00pm
Proudly run by: Seniors Action Group
Contact President 0498 999 406
Indoor Bowls
Cost $5.00
Monday 8.00am – 4.00pm
Proudly run by: Seniors Action Group
Contact President 0498 999 406
Justice of the Peace
Free
Contact Peggy Hodgson 0427 290 136
Knitters & Crochet Group
$0.50
Friday 9.00am – 12noon
Contact Jean Steer 0499 251 242
Laughs & Crafts
Wednesday 9.00am –12noon Join us for crafts and socialising Line Dancing Free Tuesday 12.30pm -1.00pm New Learners 1.00pm – 2.30pm Beginners & Intermediate Start time is 1.00pm on the 2nd Tuesday of each month Mahjong Free Tuesday 1.00pm - 3.00pm Thursday 9.00am – 11.00am
Over 50’s Gentle Gym Free
Wednesday 9.00am –10.00am, & 10.30am – 11.30am
Friday 9.00am – 10.00am Wear enclosed gym shoes and bring a water bottle
