• PHOTO: Coonamble’s seniors tear up the dance floor with students from NASCA while Royden Donohue keeps the beat.
Over 100 seniors from across the Coonamble shire gathered at the Coonamble Bowling Club last week to catch up, be merry and take a spin around the dance floor.
The ‘out of this world’ event was hosted by Coonamble Shire Council – with help from other organisations – to celebrate Seniors Week 2022.
Similar to previous years, the event entailed a free luncheon, special gifts courtesy of the Coonamble Neighbourhood Centre, lucky door prizes and musical entertainment courtesy of Royden Donohue.
Unfortunately not all of Coonamble’s seniors were able to attend, with ongoing COVID restrictions ruling out aged care residents from Koonambil or the hospital.
Council’s Executive Leader for Environment, Strategic Planning and Community Noreen Vu said she had been really pleased to see the event return with a large community turnout.
“The event always has a great turn out but this year we may have had more than last year, I think in total there were 120 people,” Ms Vu said.
The theme of the NSW Seniors Festival this year is ‘Reconnect’, which Ms Vu said was very timely for the Coonamble community.
“I think we have all craved reconnecting with our family and friends after the last couple of years with COVID-19,” she said.
It has been a tradition in recent years for each Seniors Week luncheon to have its own theme, and this year was no different, with the council choosing ‘outta this world’.
Various space-themed decorations could be seen around the room along with a pre-drawn painting of a spaceship to which seniors were encouraged to add their own splash of colour.
There was also a best dressed competition with a panel of mystery judges choosing David Facer and Diane Rusk for their innovative costumes.
After the best-dressed and lucky door prizes were given out, Master of Ceremonies and organiser Raquel Pickering from Coonamble Shire Library spoke briefly to the room.
“Once again I’d like to thank you all for coming and helping us to celebrate the wonderful seniors in our community,” Ms Pickering said.
The event was a welcome return for Coonamble local Norma Green who said she was pleased to see so many older members of the community have a chance to enjoy themselves in a group setting.
“I’ve had a lovely day and I think everyone else may have too,” Mrs Green sad.
“My favourite part was the music – I didn’t get to dance unfortunately because I was a bit shaky in my leg.”
When asked for her personal highlight of the event, Ms Vu said she loved seeing the youth organisation NASCA attend and the girls interacting with the seniors who attended.
“It is the first time I believe that we had a younger crowd there – we thank the girls from NASCA and the program coordinators for attending the event,” she said.
“Not only did they do a beautiful Welcome to Country, they helped serve the food and clean up and then got up and danced with our seniors.”