Sunshine Coast Morning Group
2015
Robyn Tait , LO
Let ’ s hear it Queensland … !!
At the end of last year we said farewell to long standing member Maureen but at the same time welcomed new member Kerry plus Shirley a former member who has rejoined our group . So our numbers have remained constant ( 11 ).
All members came to our first meeting in January with their annual subscriptions ready so we were off to a flying start . We began the year chatting about our siblings and where we fitted into the family and how that may / may not have impacted on our childhood . Occasionally it ’ s good to get a more personal understanding of our fellow members .
We have since tackled the topic of our digital footprint . Did you know that up to 30 million of the 1.3 billion Facebook accounts belong to people who have died ? It is not a simple process to remove / delete either . We are increasingly more connected by the internet with friends / family and business and what to do with this footprint after death is a growing dilemma .
With this in mind the next discussion was on how to keep body , mind and spirit healthy and some great ideas were exchanged .
Our April discussion was in fact several mini discussions as each member introduced a topic of her choice and we followed with our comments . We have enjoyed this format before as many different issues can be raised , always of interest but not necessarily needing a full discussion time .
One meeting each year we set aside for a games morning . Our host is Willi who has a good knowledge of interesting games . One game is Mexican Train , a dominoes game with a difference and some new rules to learn . We also played some card games and the laughter flowed as we enjoyed some friendly rivalry in our efforts to win .
Loyalty was our June topic as we debated whether it is still valued in business , partnerships and friendships . I think we agreed loyalty is a quality valued in friendships but that in today ’ s competitive world loyalty can be fickle as a better offer presents itself and businesses don ’ t always look out for their long standing clients .
A lively discussion was hosted by Patricia in July on the subject of TV . We easily compared our favourite programmes and lamented the funding cuts to the ABC , although also pointing out that some of their newer comedy programmes are not actually very funny and possibly a waste of money .
Our member Irene lives in Noosaville and so we car pooled to drive to her home in August as she regularly makes the trip south to Caloundra for our meetings . We tackled the topic of left and right political factions , what does it mean to belong to a faction and how much power does a faction have ? The answer is a lot ! Also factions or alliances exist in all the major political parties and within states and are constantly manipulating in the background to gain an advantage . After this discussion we walked to a nearby café for an enjoyable lunch , making a delightful day overall .
Most months those who can , stay for lunch ( BYO ) and we enjoy this social time together .
Whilst it is not possible for any of us to travel to conference this year we will be with you all in spirit , especially as on the same day we will be meeting with Carole Aveley ’ s Brisbane West group . We ’ ve agreed to travel to Bribie Island where we will have morning tea together in a park near the water , followed by a discussion and then adjourn to a nearby café for lunch . This is our way of keeping in touch with the bigger picture of NWR .
Robyn
11