Club fades into history

THE Yarraburn Senior Citizens Club has folded.
The club, which has served Yarra Junction and district’s older residents for 25 years, failed to elect a committee at its AGM last week.
The resolution to wind up was not unexpected. President Gordon Jackson said a call for new members had brought no joy and notice had been given that the fateful resolution was on the agenda for the AGM held on Tuesday 15 July.
Current committee members, averaging in their 80s and having served on committee for many years, said they could no longer shoulder the responsibility.
The committee is also the committee of management for the recently renovated hall which has been their home for 20 of their 25 years.
Mr Jackson said managing the hall was a big job for an aging committee but it was not the main reason the club folded.
They had the option of relinquishing their management role and using the hall as a paying user group.
“The sad fact is that there are just not the people coming along to either do the jobs, or make the club viable,” he said.
While Yarraburn had 30 members, the average attendance at meetings and bingo was 18 to 20.
“We only had three people on the bus today which amounts to about $2; it just doesn’t pay,” Mr Jackson said.
Committee member of 19 years Edith Krejci, whose husband Karl is also on the committee, said where senior citizens clubs were once one of a few activities available for seniors, there is now a competing range of clubs and activities for people once they have retired. “So many people join clubs like Probus when they are in their 50s now and once they are settled into those groups, they don’t change,” she said.
For the small group of members who attended the last meeting it was undoubtedly a sad day.
Lillian Chalkley said she had been a member since 1990 and had been coming once a week all that time.
“I will miss it. I have made a lot of friends here,” she said.
Jean Cruickshank remembered a time when they would have as many as 70 people at lunch, entertainment and trips. “We have had some very happy times over the years. It’s sad, but you just can’t keep all that going for 16 or 17 people. – Kath Gannaway