Margaret May (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Coolangatta Senior Citizens Centre to attend a very special morning tea to celebrate the 90th birthday of three of their members and the 92nd birthday of one member. Joe Smith, Alfred Noakes, Hilda Hamilton and Marjorie Harman were made life members of the centre and presented with special certificates and badges to mark the occasion.

I was delighted to present each of them with a special commemorative glass plaque that was personally inscribed with their birthdays. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a special morning tea was held with Councillor Chris Robbins, friends and family and current life members of the centre. Betty Rattery, the president of the senior citizens centre, and Janet Holmes, the secretary, are to be congratulated for hosting this wonderful morning to commemorate these special milestones.

During my visit, I also had the opportunity of discussing the centre with the coordinator, Mr Ron Brisby. The centre is extremely active in providing a safe and caring environment for older Australians to participate in a host of activities, including regular card games, dance lessons, snooker, meditation classes, regular exercise classes, indoor bowls, Tai Chi and bingo, to name just a few.

The centre also arranges regular bus trips for members. The February trip to Bribie Island was a great day out for members, who enjoyed morning tea at Nudgee Beach before continuing their journey to Caboolture and Bribie Island RSL for lunch. Future trips include a visit to Iluka and Yamba and the sensational scenic rim tour.

The centre is open every day and is supported by an in-house cafeteria which is run by Briony and Glenn Curtis and a great support team. Each day nutritious meals are provided at very reasonable prices and there is even a take-away service. There is also a hairdressing service run by Louise. She has been looking after members for many years and has recently been joined by Stacey.

There are more than 800 members of this senior citizens centre, an incredible membership by any standard. The centre has a wonderful executive team who give freely of their time on a volunteer basis to ensure that members have the facilities and activities they enjoy so much on a regular basis. The federal government assisted the committee with a small equipment grant in 2006, which enabled the purchase of a new refrigerator and an urn. Both of these pieces of equipment have been put to great use, particularly in view of the large membership and the need to provide morning and afternoon tea for members on a daily basis.

There is no doubt that this centre is a great meeting place for senior citizens on the southern Gold Coast and I commend all those involved with the centre who have worked hard to ensure the continued success of the centre by providing facilities and activities that continue to be enjoyed by those people on the southern Gold Coast.