Old Folks Find Warmth, Friendship, At Club Rooms

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29251, 8 July 1960, Page 7

Old Folks Find Warmth, Friendship, At Club Rooms

Warmth and companionship for old people and pensioners can be found at the Christchurch Old Folks and Beneficiaries’ Association. A cup of tea and a chat ’ with friends brightens the lives , of the 420 members, many of , whom live alone in lodgings. Yesterday afternoon, the assoi ciation’s weekly function was a , concert given by the Christchurch . Central Townswomen’s Guild. ' Hilarious sketches about bargain ’ sales and buying hats, four Highland pipers in their crepe paper . kilts and toy bagpipes and community singing, with such old , favourites as “Sally in our Al- . ley,” “Clementine,” and “I’ll take ybu home again Kathleen,” brought laughter and nostalgic I tears to many eyes. i Every Thursday afternoon there is a concert, film, or devotional service at the association’s rooms in Worcester street. Pro- . grammes are arranged by Mrs ’ Hilda Reeve, who for eight years i has brought along different groups each week. For many of the old people, it is their only . outing, and their only opportunI ity to meet friends. i Social Afternoon ' Every other Saturday a social afternoon is run by Mr H. Gracie. ■ The programme includes dancing, ■ which is very popular even among the very elderly, and

musical items. The charge of Is Id taken up each Saturday is put towards a subsidy on summer outings to Hanmer, Akaroa, Timaru, and other places of interest At least three trips are taken each summer, with several busloads on each. On five days a week, eight or nine faithful women members of the association form a roster to serve soup, tea, sandwiches, buns and biscuits. The charges are low—six sandwiches, a bun and a cup of tea cost Is 3d. One of the women, Mrs F. Rix, also visits sick members each week on her bicycle. A valuable concession to association members is free theatre tickets, through the courtesy of four Christchurch theatres. A library at the rooms stocks a wide range of books, which may be borrowed for Id each. Card afternoons are. held three days a week —euchre on Tuesdays, five hundred on Wednesdays, and crib on Fridays. Rooms Too Small For such a wide range of activities, the association’s rooms are now too small. The little hall was dark and crowded yesterday, with about 100 of the members present. There are high hopes for a new building. But in spite of a substantial legacy, and the promise of a Government subsidy, £4OOO

is still needed to provide suitable facilities. At present there is no place for members to sit when they have had their meal, and the architect (Mr A. H. McMaster) hopes to include in the plan a large glassed-in sunporch, facing north, where they can sit in the sun and chat. "The present building is not suitable—it is cold, and the light is poor. The old people need a better environment than that,” said Mr McMaster yesterday. The president of the association (Mr Frank Rix) said: "We are growing stronger every year. If only we had a better building, we could do so much more.”