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The
RETURNED & SERVICES LEAGUE of
AUSTRALIA OUR PROGRAMS
COMMEMORATIVE,
SOCIAL & HEALTH PROGRAMS The
Sub-Branch offers its membership a wide and attractive range of activities
throughout the year. A balanced
calendar of social events provides ongoing opportunities for members, partners
and the widows/widowers of past members to interact with others of similar
backgrounds in an enjoyable and friendly environment. The following events are held in the modern facilities of the
Canberra Southern Cross Club at Phillip:
The
Sub-Branch fully subsidises the cost of the Widows’/Widowers’ Lunch and
Welfare Workers’ Lunch, whilst the cost to members of attending the other
functions is kept to a minimum. Those
unable to attend the ANZAC Dawn Service and Remembrance Day Service at the
Australian War Memorial are most welcome to attend the Sub-Branch services
conducted at the Southern Cross Club’s Bowling Green commemorative area in
Irving Street, Phillip. The ANZAC
Dawn Service commences at 5:30am each year on 25 April with the Remembrance Day
Service commencing at 8:00 am on 11 November each year.
The
Sub-Branch also provides opportunities for its membership to participate in a
structured health and fitness program. Since
the program’s launch in 1998, participants have had their attendance costs
subsidised by the Sub-Branch. Run
in conjunction with the Southern Cross Health Club, Irving Street, Phillip, the
program offers a facility for people with different fitness levels to
participate in needs-based and supervised activities aimed at developing or
maintaining their general fitness levels. Participants
aged fifty years and over will require a medical clearance before joining the
program. Further details on the
medial clearance and the program can be obtained by contacting the Health Club
on (02) 6283 7340 or emailing www.southerncrosshealthclub.com.au.
The Eddison Day Club
Who are We? Sponsored by the Woden Valley
Sub-branch of the RSL and supported by the
Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Eddison Day Club is for sub-branch members,
spouses, widows and other members of the
community who might be aged, frail,
lonely or isolated (membership criteria apply). It meets
every Friday throughout the year, except for Good Friday, from 10am to 2pm at
The Irish Club, Parkinson Street, Weston Creek. Of the about 100 members some 50
attend each week. The Eddison Day Club has been extremely successful in
its seven years of operation. So much so, that several regular attendees have
made comments such as "This has changed
my life", and "I look forward to day club on Fridays more than
anything else." What
is a Day Club? A Day Club provides social and activity opportunities
for older people who are mostly still living at home, but who are unable to
attend other more active programs offered in their local community. Clubs
meet weekly and all who attend pay a nominal daily fee which includes lunch. Club
volunteers conduct the daily activities and assist with
transporting members to and from the venue. A
Brief History. Day clubs were established in NSW in 1977 as a joint venture between the NSW Department of Veterans' Affairs and
the NSW Branch of the Returned and Services League of Australia. There are now 70 clubs in metropolitan and
country areas of NSW and the ACT. Although sponsored by an
RSL sub-branch and supported by DVA, each club is open to any
interested person, not just ex-service people. Eddison was the
first of only two such day clubs in the ACT. What happens at the Eddison Day Club? 10am
Arrival and welcome • Gentle exercises - an exercise routine to suit older adults • Morning tea • "Mind Alive" - a program of mentally stimulating
and interesting activities • Community involvement - entertainment or a visiting speaker
to educate or inform our members about topics of current interest • Light lunch • Leisure activities - cards, table games, socializing, music 2pm
Close More than 20 volunteers to conduct the
Day Club have been recruited from among
Sub-Branch members and their spouses. They participate in a
day training/refresher course at the beginning of each year conducted by Day Club Consultants from the Department of Veterans' Affairs in Sydney. Our volunteers provide transport to
and from the Day Club for people who need it. Enquiries about joining the Eddison Club should be directed in the first instance by phoning the Woden Valley
Sub-branch office on 6285 1931 between 10am and 2pm, Tuesday to Friday.
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