The Wandin Senior Citizens Club will celebrate 50 years on 26 June as it marks a new era for the organisation.
The birthday celebration will take place at the Wandin District Senior Citizens Centre in Wandin North and goes from 9.30am to 3.30pm.
On the day, Wandin Senior Citizens Club president Clare Gothard said they’ve gone “a bit all out” on the food with pork, beef and chicken on the menu, plus desserts and the birthday cake.
“We’ve got music, we’ve got a couple of people coming in and singing that we haven’t had for a while,” Ms Gothard said.
“Afterwards we’re going to have the lunch, we do a big lunch. It’s a freebie lunch for the people for the birthday.”
Having only stepped into the president role recently, Ms Gothard planned to lift the club up and make it more social and exciting which will inject new life into the club established in 1975.
“Since I’ve become the president… we’re trying to lift the club up from 50 years ago and make it more fun and stuff. So we’ll get dressed up… it’s a lot more exciting, social,” Ms Gothard said.
“I’m definitely not your nice lady president. I’m your funny president.”
Ms Gothard said more members had joined since the start of the year than it has in the past four, with the total now sitting at 70 members on the books.
Her plan to bring the fun energy to the club had already inserted a newfound sense of life and energy into the mood.
It’s the little things which have sparked more joy and laughter in the club, like a day where everyone dressed up in purple, or even a galah day, where Ms Gothard dressed up as a “naughty galah”.
“I said, ‘where are those things you wouldn’t be seen dead in.’ You know, the things at the back of the cupboard,” she said.
It’s gotten the men involved more too, who Ms Gothard said never used to engage as much as the women would.
“The boys are getting involved, where they never did before.”
“I’ve noticed it. They’re enjoying it and they’re laughing, either at me or with me, whatever. I’m okay with that,” she said.
But it’s been daunting for Ms Gothard as she took the reins of the club after the previous president passed away unexpectedly.
She said it was hard to balance moving the club forward while pleasing everyone.
“[People] are talking and reacting to me now, but it’s still daunting.”
“But it doesn’t mean I’m going to step back. I’m going to keep going until they kick me out, which could be the next AGM, who knows,” she joked.
“It’s a good group, we get on really well, we get a lot done. So, time will tell.”
