Dearest Club Presidents, Secretaries, Council Delegates and Members

Another exciting Life News magazine with great travel stories, celebrations, Club updates and informative articles for awareness. Thank you so much to those who have contributed.

I’m also excited that we have increased our LACVI Board to eight members. With varying skillsets, experiences and professionalism they will assist us towards the implementation of our Strategic Plan. Our focus is new Club Development and reaching out to areas where there’s no LAC presence.

It is my great pleasure to announce that our organisation will be celebrating our 50 year anniversary later this year, from our humble beginnings in 1974. We are truly excited about this significant milestone, and a celebration will be organised later on this year. Stay tuned…

Remember, "Life’s better together™"

19th April 2024 Ballarat LAC celebrated 20 years at Sebastopol’s RSL Club.

Committee members are Robyn Boyd, Lynda Tracy, Margaret Cottell, Merle Long, Bev Phillips, Katherine King MP, Federal Member for Ballarat & Minister for Infrastructure,Transport, Regional Development & Local Government, Mayor of the City of Ballarat, Cr Des Hudson OAM, Peter Cottell and Jean Colligan.

A true supporter of Life Activities Clubs, Carol O’Halloran is an author, speaker and television presenter, with her show Over 50, So What! She is passionate about working with older people on fitness and mental wellbeing.

Carol encourages people to get out of their comfort zone and try new things.

Introducing our new Board members.

Suresh Bhaskaran, recently appointed to the board and is a member of the Brighton Bayside LAC. Suresh has 25+ years of experience spanning engineering and financial services with a specialised focus in data, analytics and technology. With senior leadership stints across financial services, Suresh has spearheaded change initiatives with a strong focus on customer and member outcomes. Passionate about community welfare, he balances professional commitments with family time and hobbies like golf, biking and car-related pursuits.

Mila Cichello worked as a registered nurse and midwife before changing careers to become a registered psychologist. Mila has worked in both private and public sectors and has professional experience in academic research, aged care legislation, rural health policy and program delivery. She works part-time, is an avid traveller and a dedicated community volunteer participating in medical missions for the deaf and in educational programs for indigenous children in remote communities overseas. Mila is a member of Inner Melbourne LAC.

Jenny Visvalingam is an experienced financial professional with over 15 years’ experience in the aged care sector. On the board she will be looking out for new partnership opportunities and sponsorships, which form a vital role ensuring that LACVI can continue making a meaningful contribution for older Victorians. Outside of work Jenny loves being creative with music and baking. She is trained in cake decorating and enjoys producing creations in her spare time. She enjoys her role at LAVCI and is looking forward to supporting this outstanding organisation. Jenny is a member of Moonee Valley LAC.

Tim Richardson has significant experience as a business and technology leader with a key focus on enabling business through digital, automation and technology enablement. He’s worked with regulators in respect to emerging trends and external regulatory forces facing organisations across various industries including financial services, Healthcare, Professional Services, and the not for profit sector (in aged care). Tim enjoys travel, spending time with his family, spending time with the community and attending sporting activities. Tim is a member of Inner Melbourne LAC.

The number of older Australians struggling to afford somewhere safe to live is on the rise.

For those who rely on income support like the aged pension, and don’t own their home, high rent and low availability is making it impossible to find a rental property. A lack of protections for renters means many older people are being forced to move out of homes and away from communities in which they’ve lived for many years because they can no longer afford the rent.

At the same time, the number of older people who are nearing or entering retirement with a mortgage is also on the rise. Our tax and superannuation systems punish people who take time out of work to care for children, the majority of whom are women. This, coupled with changes in Australia’s housing market, means that even if you pull a deposit together and buy a home, it might not be enough to be certain you’ll have a safe, stable home to enjoy in retirement.

According to the latest figures from the Australia Bureau of Statistics, the proportion of older people who own their own home dropped from 62% in 2011 to 58% in 2021. Similarly, the number of people over 55 still paying off their mortgage grew from 19% in 2011 to 23% in 2021. That’s 2.2 million older Australians exposed to interest rates and rents that have risen faster than at any time in our nation’s history.

Vera, a member of Housing for the Aged Action Group’s Committee of Management, was one of those people. She spent four years of her seventies experiencing homelessness, couch-surfing with friends or family.

“I followed the now all too familiar well-worn path to homelessness, although I didn’t know it at the time,” Vera says.

“From a marriage breakup to homelessness, via sole parenting, taking casual and part-time jobs to fit in school schedules, with no superannuation, just making a living. Eventually returning to full-time work, far too late to establish a career that would make up financially for the time spent as a willing carer.

“I retired with a mortgage that I could no longer afford. So I had to sell my unit and the net proceeds were $100,000. Not enough to downsize. But too much to qualify for housing or income support.”

There are few policies in place to support older people who might find themselves in mortgage trouble once they reach retirement, protections for renters are scant, and government investment in public and community is not keeping pace with the needs of an ageing population. Waiting lists are growing as a result, and older people are less likely to be living in public or community housing than they were a decade ago.

Housing for the Aged Action Group is advocating for governments at every level to invest further in public and community housing and ensure that a portion of those homes are set aside for older people who need them. They must provide additional support for the ‘missing middle’ those older people who have some wealth, but not enough to buy a home. It is also important to explore ways of supporting older people who enter retirement with mortgages and are at risk of falling directly out of home ownership and into homelessness.

Housing for the Aged Action Group’s Home at Last Service provides free confidential advice, support and advocacy for people 50 years and older, living on low incomes in Victoria who need help finding affordable housing.

If you, or someone you know needs support, call 1300 765 178.

Our LAMP Project Manager, Kath Frowen, recently undertook computer training sessions for all our clubs committee administrators to keep them up to date with our LAMP membership platform, rolled out to most of our clubs in 2019, by Kath and Lynda Bourne.

RevolutioniseSPORT is our provider. They developed and operate a database that supports sporting clubs throughout Australia and overseas by providing tools to assist these clubs in management of their membership, their activities and websites. LAMP is LACVI’s specialised database and management tool within revolutioniseSPORTs’ system.

LACVI owns the data within LAMP, revolutioniseSPORT manages the underlying database and software that allows LACVI and all our affiliated clubs to manage all aspects of their membership and activities. LACVI pays an annual licence fee for this service - revolutioniseSPORT provides support, some training through their HELP Desk and ensures that the software is working as we expect it to.

revolutioniseSPORT takes the protection and security of its client’s data extremely seriously.

The platform utilises several best-practice processes to review and meet industry standards constantly. In brief, revolutioniseSPORT has:

• segmented user information based on access level;
• annual penetration testing conducted by reputable, independent 3rd party cybersecurity companies;
• protection of all data by HTTPS/SSL communications;
• one-way encryption on passwords;
• use of anti-phishing and anti-virus software, appropriate security software on our application, and communications software, etc
• a ‘staging environment’ set up that is “firewalled” from ‘production systems’

All of revolutioniseSPORT’s servers are hosted on one of the most globally utilised servers—Amazon Web Servers—safely separated and protected from the company’s advertised office.  All data is stored by Amazon Web Servers in Sydney, Australia.

The platform regularly backs up all data in a fixed cycle and tests the entire process of recovery, including restoring entire systems from backup.

Protecting clients’ data is one of the platform’s core values and is the basis of several strategies employed by SportsGrid, the company behind revolutioniseSPORT. SportsGrid, not only provides its staff with training around best practices for data security but it also regularly checks in with clients to help reduce the chances of penetration issues caused by administrator error.

As part of the strategy to strengthen platform security, revolutioniseSPORT recently implemented two-factor authentication (TFA) throughout the platform—considered the best practice in digital security and widely adopted by nearly all leading technology companies.

With the various data breaches occurring in the industry, implementing two-factor authentication is not simply for peace of mind but a timely requirement. While this will require one additional step from administrators to ‘validate’ who they are during login, client data must be protected.

Have questions on data or cyber security? The team behind revolutioniseSPORT is always happy to answer your questions. Simply lodge a ticket via the help section of the platform. 

As the world becomes increasingly digital, members of our community are embracing technology more than ever to stay connected, informed, entertained, and simply getting on with life ‘admin’ with paying bills and on-line banking.  However, along with the benefits of the internet come risks, particularly for those who may be less familiar with navigating the online landscape whilst using a computer or mobile phone.

Cyber safety is crucial for everyone, especially seniors over the age of 55 who may be more vulnerable.  Whilst we have seen a decline in the total amount lost to scams over the past two years, we need to keep in mind that many scams go unreported.  In 2023, over $476 million dollars was lost with 301,765 scams reported to government authorities. 

In this article, we’ll explore essential tips to stay safe online and what to do if you suspect you’ve fallen victim to a scam.

Key Tips

1. Stay Informed:
   Keep yourself updated on the latest cybersecurity threats and scams, some of which specifically target senior members of our community. Resources like government websites, cybersecurity blogs and forums, and community seminars can provide valuable information.
    
2. Be Wary of Suspicious Email or Text Messages:
   Exercise caution when receiving unsolicited emails or text messages, especially those requesting personal information or urging immediate action.  One of the most common scams, is a text message coming from what appears to be Australia Post requesting you to click on a link.  Don’t click on it!  Phishing emails often mimic legitimate companies and may contain links or attachments that can infect your device with viruses and malware.  Australia Post have recently launched an advertising campaign promoting the use of their app if you want safe and secure updates of your parcel tracking.
    
3. Use Strong Passwords:
   Create strong, unique passwords for your online accounts and avoid using easily guessable information such as your birthdate or pet’s name.  Consider using a password manager to securely store and manage your passwords.  Google, Samsung and Apple have solid offerings to manage your passwords.  I’d also strongly urge you to use multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible.  It’s one of the most effective ways to protect your personal information and accounts against unauthorised access and does this by requiring two or more proofs of identity to grant access.  
    
4. Secure Your Devices:
   Ensure that your devices, including computers, smart-phones and tablets, have up-to-date anti-virus software installed.  Regularly install software updates and security patches to protect against vulnerabilities.
    
5. Be Mindful on Social Media:
   Limit the personal information you share on social media platforms and adjust your privacy settings to control who can see your posts and profile information.  Be cautious of friend requests from strangers and avoid clicking on suspicious links or attachments.  Exercise caution if using online buying/selling platforms like Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace.  A large number of scams exist via these platforms.
    
6. Verify Before Clicking:
   Before clicking on links or downloading files from unknown sources, take a moment to verify the legitimacy of the sender or website.  Hover over links to preview the URL, and if something seems off of you’re unsure, don’t click.
    
7. Shop Safely Online:
   When making online purchases, only shop from reputable websites with secure payment methods.  Look for the padlock icon in the address bar and https:// in the URL to ensure the website is encrypted and secure.
    
8. Guard Your Personal Information:
   Be cautious about sharing sensitive personal information online, such as your driver’s licence, medicare, tax file number, passport, bank account details or passwords.  Legitimate organisations will rarely request this information via email or phone.  If unsure, don’t provide this information and contact your service provider directly.
    

What to do

1. Stay Calm
   If you suspect you’ve been scammed, try to remain calm and avoid taking any further actions that could compromise your security.
    
2. Act fast to prevent further losses
   Contact your bank or card provider immediately to report the scam.  Ask them to stop any transactions.  It’s a good idea to store your bank’s contact number on your phone, so you don’t have to look for it when you need it in case of emergencies like this.
    
3. Get help to recover financial losses
   IDCARE is Australia and New Zealand’s national identity and cyber support service.  They can help you make a plan (for free) to limit the damage. Call them on 1800 595 160 or visit their website www.idcare.org to find out more.
   
   If you’re not happy with how your bank has responded to your situation, you can complain to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority https://www.afca.org.au/make-a-complaint
    
4. Warn Others and Report the Scam
   Once you have secured your details, you can help authorities try to stop the scam or warn others by reporting the scam to www.scamwatch.gov.au
   
   Provide as much detail as possible about the scam and any communication you’ve had with the scammer.  You can also warn people around you and can also make an official report to the police online here: https://www.cyber.gov.au/report-and-recover/report
    
5. Watch out for Follow Up Scams
   If scammers have stolen money from you, chances are they will come back for more.  Unfortunately, 1 in 3 victims of a scam have been scammed more than once.  
   
   Please don’t feel shame if you’ve been scammed.  Scams are extremely convincing and in most cases, look like the real deal, hence why it’s really important to be vigilant and report scams when they happen. If you’ve lost money to a scam, look out for new scams – especially someone offering to help you get your money back!
    
6. Update Your Security Measures
   Take steps to secure your accounts and devices, such as changing passwords, running anti-virus scans, and reviewing your privacy settings.
    
7. Get Support
   Being scammed is a horrible experience, and it can happen to anyone.
   
   If a scam is causing you problems with debt, talk to a financial counsellor.  This is a free and confidential service to help you get your finances back on track (https://moneysmart.gov.au/managing-debt/financial-counselling)
   
   If you need someone to talk to, reach out to family and friends or contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue to speak to someone online or over the phone.
   - Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
   - Lifeline 13 11 14 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

In Conclusion

Cyber safety is essential to protect yourself from online threats and scams.  By staying informed, practicing good cybersecurity habits, and knowing how to respond if you suspect you’ve been scammed, you can enjoy the benefits of technology while minimising the risks. Remember, it’s never too late to learn and implement effective strategies for staying safe online.

Born in 1950, just post war, effected how our parents raised us. Mums didn’t drive or work, so children of today would be amazed at the simplicity of our lives. Everything was slower without the complexity or expectations I seem to remember when raising my own children many years later.

There was always love and rituals, with dinner at the dining table every night, vegetables from our garden and often roast chook from our backyard as well. The table conversation was also simpler, basically neighbour gossip, had Saint Kilda won the week before and would they win next week? Unfortunately neither happened, if the truth be told! Because our exposure to the media was very limited, I don’t remember the debates we had being central to evening mealtimes, unlike what we had with our children years later. There was always a sense of children being seen and not heard! Sunday was without fail a roast with the trimmings, no matter the temperature or time of the year and always, always with a pudding. And on Christmas Eve, the ham was cooked in the copper and we had ham sandwiches for tea.

Without a dishwasher the kids always did the dishes, didn’t I wish I had siblings my age, my brother was 16 years older and long gone from the family home. But it was clear that this was my job.

Whilst being very supportive parents there was never any interest in schoolyard hassles or issues, “sort it out Susan”. Any sports I tried, and I say again tried, it was clear I made my own way there and back and they never watched me. I don’t think this is any different to my other school friends and Dad was usually working on a Saturday and Mum didn’t drive.

Having now lived through three generations of my family, looking back, whilst we didn’t have the educational and sporting opportunities, what we did have were parents who loved us and instilled into us a resilience of managing on your own, simply because we had to.

Vale Ivy and Bill Wheeler, you did a pretty good job.

While some aspects of ageing are beyond your control, one often overlooked yet critical aspect of physical fitness is grip strength.

Grip strength is not just a measure of hand power but a key indicator of overall health, and nurturing it can significantly contribute to ageing gracefully.

Many everyday activities – such as playing sports, doing housework, opening jars and even catching yourself to avoid a fall – all require a certain level of grip strength.

What is grip strength?

Grip strength is the force applied by the hand to pull or squeeze an object. This seemingly simple function, however, is supported by a complex interplay of muscles and nerves. Handgrip strength is often measured using a dynamometer, a device that gauges the force exerted when squeezing the instrument.

People’s hands are becoming weaker overall, possibly because of the way smartphones and touch screens are being used, says Dr Erin Nance, a hand surgeon in New York City. Addressing this goes beyond merely working out the small muscles in your hands, though. It also entails engaging the muscles spanning your forearms, upper arms, shoulders and core as they all work together as a functional unit.

How to increase your grip strength

It’s usually not too hard to tell whether or not your hands could use a bit of a workout. Try picking up a heavy cast-iron pan and rotate it as if you’re dumping out the contents. Or, support your body weight with your hands in a push-up position. If either of these feels difficult, then grip training should be part of your workout routine.

According to experts, the most effective exercises for enhancing grip strength are those that involve multiple muscle groups, replicating the motions we perform in our daily lives.

An example of this is the farmer’s carry – where you hold a heavy object in each hand while walking – as this technique not only helps to strengthen your hands but also engages other parts of your body such as your core, arms, shoulders and back.

To start, try using five-kilogram weights that make you want to walk a bit faster. Begin by performing two or three sets of 30 – 60 seconds.

Push yourself further by trying the dead hang. This is the starting position of a pull-up and requires grip strength alongside strength in your shoulders, upper back and core. Beginners should start with 10-second hangs and try to build up to a minute.

Schedule in the occasional hand-specific exercise

Experts say most people don’t need grip-specific exercises unless they are recovering from an injury or training for a sport such as golf or tennis. You should limit them to once a week unless otherwise recommended by a physiotherapist.

You could try squeezing a tennis ball for five seconds at a time, 10 times in a row, and repeating this for three sets. Isometric exercises such as this, where the muscles contract but there’s no movement, are safer for people with arthritis and other joint issues.

Another simple exercise that works the wrists and forearms is the towel wring. Just grab a hand towel, soak it, and wring it out until there’s no water left. Try this three to five times, switching the direction of wringing halfway through.

If you have access to weights, you can try wrist curls. In a seated position, hold light dumbbells (no more than one kilogram to start) and rest your forearms on your thighs. Bring your wrists up and then back down with your palms facing the ceiling.

Originally published in www.yourlifechoices.com.au
Written by Ellie Baxter 15 January 2024. Article can be read here.

Once a fortnight, a group of YLAC card players gather at alternating venues in Yarraville and Albion. Our two venues offer an intimate and relaxed environment, in all types of weather (and we all know Melbourne weather!), whether it is around the table in front of a gas fire in Yarraville or at the lovely, relaxed and comfortable venue of the Federation Village in Albion, home of Judy.

If the game is in the evening, we start playing (of course, it is helped by a liquid refreshment) and then have a break for some gourmet food obtained locally, and then we are back into our friendly competition and banter again, refreshed, and ready to shuffle.

We play a variety of games, but the most popular at the moment, is Bush Rummy. It is a game that is a favourite amongst RV travellers and other welcoming groups, easy to pick up, very sociable, and can be played with two or more players, and in some cases up to 12. It is not too taxing, and allows much room for conversation, strategy, laughter and also keeps us on our toes. We haven’t played 500 yet, but there are a few players who would be interested in participating next year.

That’s our next challenge! I love card games because they are inherently unpredictable, and we all like the thrill of drawing the perfect card to execute our well thought out strategy. All in all, we are open to other games; it would be good to expand our horizons and play scrabble, sequence or board games and perhaps we can explore these in the coming year.

So let’s shuffle out those cards, deal out the fun and let the games begin.

Keeping mentally agile - with a bit of fun.
All games available through the App store of your phone as well as online.

Our visit to exotic South America last year began at Cape Horn and ended 6000km north at Colca Canyon, Peru, to see the massive Andean Condors rising from the canyon on thermals to soar only metres above us.  Between Chile and Peru we wandered in the rarified air of Bolivia.

When next you sprinkle salt on your eggs, think of us standing on a block of salt covering 10,000 sq kms and 140m deep!  So vast is the high Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, that it is visible from space. It is absolutely breathtaking - and at 4000m, dizzying as well!  The surface was covered with a thin sheet of water so it was like driving on a mirror: the endless horizon, the reflections that wavered and melted into a wraparound sky were incredible.  

Then we stopped, donned gumboots and walked ‘in that sky’. What an experience! This is not only the world’s largest salt flat: it has one of the world’s largest lithium deposits and we found it bubbling up through the water.

Our Bolivian sojourn culminated in two tranquil days on Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca, the birthplace of Andean spirituality and culture before flying to the source of the mighty Amazon for an exotic wildlife expedition.  Apart from seeing hundreds of stunning species of flora and fauna, we saw and swam with the gorgeous pink Amazon River Dolphins in a tar-black lake. A totally awe-inspiring adventure!

(Featured small image: Street vendors in Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca)

Written by Heather Wheat, Port Phillip LAC member

They say that Perth is so far away to travel from Melbourne, but with promo airfares from Virgin, my wife and I made this trip in Jan-2024 for seven days. We were glad that we did, Perth is a beautiful city. There are many places to see and full of history. We went north of Perth to a place called New Norcia. Australia’s only monastic town, and you can see why. This place was full of Spanish architecture built around the town.

We then travelled south of Perth to Mandurrah, where you can see the Mandurrah Giants placed around the shores. You can also do a cruise around the Mandurrah waterways where you can see dolphins. This time we opted to cruise on a pirate ship. Well, you are only young once…

We also visited Fremantle and went to the Maritime Museum. This is a must visit, full of history, interesting facts, especially how many shipwrecks are strewn across the Western Australia coastline.

The best way to see Perth city is on a ‘hop-on, hop-off’ sightseeing bus.

We also made the trip to Margaret River and visited several wineries.

Best part of the trip was witnessing the beautiful sunset across the Indian Ocean. Would we go back: absolutely, Yes.

(Featured small image: Sunset over Indian Ocean)

Written by Alex Sy, LACVI President

Very early on March 15th, 45 members left Ferntree Gully by bus on a great trip, for eight days, to Murray Bridge and Adelaide region. We were dropped at Southern Cross station to board the 8am Overland in Premium class, the only way to go! Being served breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea in our seats was just lovely. We enjoyed the calm train ride in the spacious coach until arriving in Murray Bridge where we walked up the hill from the station to Bridgeport Hotel. Splendid accommodation! Only 3 years old, it had beautiful views over the Murray River and the two bridges. A few of us walked to the other side of the river during our stay.

The National Motor Museum at Birdwood was a surprise. Thinking it would be a male domain, we loved the old cars which had been restored magnificently. We continued to the Whispering Wall for morning tea which is an amazing engineering feat. Gully Gardens dried fruit production was the next stop then on to Thorn Clark winery for a glass of wine in the shady garden. Yummy.

A highlight of the trip was a two hour trip up the Murray River from Mannum on the ‘Proud Mary’ with lunch onboard. The ‘Monarto Safari Park’ was wonderful, seeing all the baby giraffes. The trip home with a stop in Horsham overnight, meant we saw several examples of silo art and the ‘Stick Shed’ at Murtoa on the way.

Travelling with people you know is just fantastic. We all got on so well and got to know each other a whole lot better. Life’s better together

(Featured small image: Views to Victor Harbour)

Written by Sandra O’Donnell, LAC Knox Secretary

After my trip to Türkiye last year, I did a back-to-back fortnight in the kingdom of Morocco. They had just recently had a devastating earthquake, but our tour did not go near the earthquake zone, apart from Marrakech and the authorities were well on the way to making any damaged areas of the Medina (old town) safe and rebuilding was in progress. The locals were delighted to see us and were very welcoming.

Our tour started in Casablanca where we dined at ‘Rick’s Café’ and visited the truly magnificent Hassan ll Mosque, then on to Rabat, Meknes, Volubilis, Fes, Midelt, the Saharan village of Merzouga and the Erg Chebbi sand dunes just 20km from the Algerian border where we camped (or should I say glamped) and rode some camels. Next was the M’Goun Valley, Ait Benhaddou, Marrakech, the beautiful Atlantic fishing city of Essaouira and finally back to Casablanca.

We spent quite a bit of time in the High Atlas and Anti-Atlas Mountains and I was fascinated by the starkness of the rocky landscape, dotted with towns built of the local stone and transformed into lush and fertile agricultural land by a water source – be it wells into the water table (sadly getting lower and lower) or a stream from a spring in the mountains.

The delicious food, the colourful souks, the old medinas, the varied scenery, the history, the beautiful homes, the cultural melting pot, the wonderful friendly people – I truly recommend it as a travel experience!

Written by Kath Frowen, LACVI Board member

In February 2024, I joined a group of Filipinos from the Capizeno Club of Melbourne (CCMI) for their annual Medical Mission to Capiz Island, Philippines. I was keen to contribute to a bigger mission that offered medical, surgical, dental, optical, paediatric consults, pharmaceutical, massage therapy, grooming and health education support to impoverished villagers in need of assistance.

The weather was tropical at 35C. The Melbourne group accommodation was a mixed group dorm of 10 single beds - with Men’s shower on the left, Ladies’ on the right (though we realized that some people did not know their left from right). There were around 60 local volunteers and many slept on banig palm mats on the floor during the 7-Day Mission Program. We got a daily wake-up call at 3am, rice breakfast at the dining hall at 4am and moving out call at 5am.    

The Mission first ran Children Feeding Programs, followed by long days and gruelling drives to remote communities. The charity Gawad Kalinga chapters did an excellent job organizing the logistics and roster for volunteers from overseas, government departments and local barangays (districts). I will always remember the volunteers, young and old, who were cheerful to the last day and made this trip a memorable one!

(Featured image: Medical Mission volunteers  deliver medical supplies and medicine by open-rig boats to Olotayan Island community with the help of the Philippine Coast Guard)

Written by Mila Cichello, LACVI Board member

Ron and Shirley Moles - Casey/Cardinia LAC

Ron and Shirley Moles were Foundation Members of Casey/Cardinia LAC in May 1996.  

A meeting was held at the Masonic Hall Berwick, a lot of people attended and the new club was formed with a Committee including Ron and Shirley. They had non-executive roles for 9 years and enjoyed becoming Convenors of Dine Outs 5 years, Indoor Bowls 6 years, Coffee Mornings and Twinkle Toes for 4 years. Ron taught various dances created by former member Graham Davies, which are still danced today.

Friday nights were the highlights, playing cards such as 500, Crazy Whist  and other activities.

Ron and Shirley maintain a keen interest in our Club.