Golden oldies gather for group fun

FOR more than two decades, several of the region’s senior men – generally aged from their sixties onwards – have met for a range of activities with the aim of fostering social connection.

Members of the Golden Oldies Men’s Group Bannockburn regularly meet on the first and third Tuesday of every month for bus trips and dinners respectively, with the latter generally at the Bannockburn Cultural Centre.

Current leader Trevor Cook has been part of the group for more than 20 years.

For him, it’s always been about camaraderie and mateship.

“I like the fellowship,” he said.

“It’s the best lot of men I’ve ever been involved with; there’s no ill feelings or arguments. It’s a group for men in the shire to meet and support each other.

“I joined through my next-door neighbour and attended a few get-togethers and just enjoyed all the people so much. I’m 85 this year and I’d be the second oldest now behind the oldest at 90-odd.”

The group’s dinners frequently feature guest speakers such as local doctors, veterinarians and first responders.

Outside of Bannockburn, members gather from locales like Inverleigh, Lethbridge and Teesdale to take part in the dinners and travels, which have previously taken them to Warrnambool, Horsham, Williamstown and Stawell.

Treasurer Rod McKenzie is one of six informal executive members, having joined six years ago at the recommendation of a longtime member.

“It’s a fairly close-knit group,” Mr McKenzie said.

“We sort of all work together. We’ve all worked most of our lives in different industries so there’s always interesting conversations to have about what’s going on with the world.

“Ninety-nine per cent of us are retired, and most of us are pensioners. I think our youngest member is 62, 63 and our oldest is 91.”

The group was initially established through the Golden Plains Shire and has been operating independently for the past 16 years.

Mr Cook said he’d like to see municipal support behind them once again.

“The biggest problem now is council no longer supports us in any shape or form,” he said.

“Aside from a $7000 grant from them last year, we get no financial support from them and they don’t provide anybody for our trips like they used to because they stopped getting State Government grants to help deliver it.

“The sad thing is the council, I think, don’t understand men in our age group need to be able to get together to share time and support each other. It’s not like Rotary or Men’s Shed. It’s more a fellowship.”

Primarily self-funded, the group – which consists of about 27 members – is aiming to lobby for financial support from the Shire to help maintain itself.

To express interest in joining the Golden Oldies Men’s Group Bannockburn, call Mr McKenzie on 0408 527 704.