If you are of retirement age and would like to meet other South Wairarapa retired people then the Tauherenikau Friendship Club (formerly called Probus) could be for you. Meetings are at 10am on the first Friday of the month at the South Wairarapa Workingmen’s Club in Greytown.
The main speakers at the last two meetings have spoken on very different topics, but had one thing in common: they held the audience with their interesting stories.
Chris Engel has overseen projects in a small Ugandan village. Together, he and villagers made thousands of bricks to replace the wooden and thatch school with a structure of plaster-covered brick with a steel roof. This means that the school now does not attract termites which destroy traditional wooden dwellings. Hoping to save money for the project, Chris thought that maybe they could dispense with glass in the windows and a door, but changed his mind when told that otherwise there would cattle coming through the doorway and birds flying in through the windows to roost.
Other projects he has been involved with there are a school sports programme and the provision of water tanks. His has not been a once only visit: he has returned for several years to the village and intends to continue his support.
May’s speaker, Gretchen Saulbery, the Chief Executive of Hospice Wairarapa, gave the club an interesting account of her life balancing the demands of motherhood and working in an environment that is not always conducive to the support of working mothers. Gretchen has been in the police force and worked in both government and private business so has a wealth of experience that she brings to her new role. She also outlined the work that the hospice does and the roles of volunteers, including the work done in the two hospice shops.
At every meeting before a morning tea or coffee break and the opportunity to chat to others, there is a 15 to 20 minute talk by a club member or another local. These interesting personal stories often include some aspect of the history of the South Wairarapa. May’s mini speaker was Brian Adamson who recounted stories of Adamsons Service Station, a fixture in Featherston for around 100 years.
The club also has various interest groups such as a monthly dinner group, a walking group and the lunch group which meets directly after the club meeting and visits various local eating places. An antique and gardening group makes visits to places in the Wairarapa: the recent visit to the Greek Orthodox Church near Masterton gave members a rare opportunity to see its magnificent artwork.
If you are interested in joining, then come along to the next monthly meeting, 10am June 2nd at the Workingmen’s Club.
