Walking trips, gardening, and mystery bus tours to the Top of the South’s prosperous eateries and art galleries await the next members of a local social club for retired and semi-retired women.
The Stoke Tāhunanui Ladies Rebus Club was first established in 1989 as a Probus club before it morphed into a Rebus club in 2017.
Rebus is a contraction of the words retired and business, while Probus combines the words professional and business.
President Pamela Lockyer says the club has around 50 members, but some are aging, which has led to a call for more younger members (aged 70 plus) to jump on the bandwagon.
“The importance of it is that a lot of people, once they’ve retired, don’t have a lot of social connection out there,” she says.
“I’m sure there is a lot of ladies that would enjoy being members of our club, it’s a way of meeting lots of new women and making good friends.
“We’re after as many as possible, we had a stall at the Positive Ageing Expo at the Headingly Centre in Richmond [on 6 April], and we have potentially recruited about four new members from that.”
Pamela says meetings are held every third Wednesday of each month at Nelson Golf Club where birthday celebrations, guest speakers and business information are on the agenda.
“Our members enjoy our general meetings and there’s a lot of friendly banter and excitement, and it’s really great as president seeing all their smiling faces,” she says.
Pamela says that walking trips and gardening days cultivate relationships within the group, and mystery bus tours kept the trajectory.
“We go as far as Blenheim. In the past we’ve done big tours like to Wellington, but due to the costs now it’s just prohibitive and also, with an aging membership, it’s not quite so easy,” she says.
“But the mystery bus tours are all patronised by our members, we will get a busload of 30 on any of these tours we do, they’re a lot of fun.”
Pamela says the club also host a fundraising stall for the Cancer Society on Daffodil Day and pink ribbon lunches to support Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
If you’re interested in becoming a Stoke Tāhunanui Ladies Rebus Club member, please contact president Pamela Lockyer on 027 675 8874.
