Rochester Senior Citizens Club president Leanne Dullard and secretary Rose Williamson.
Photo by
Lua Ikenasio
The Rochester Senior Citizens Club will celebrate its 60th anniversary this week, marking six decades as a social hub for older residents in Rochester and surrounds.
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Founded in 1966, the club was created to keep older residents connected through social activities, wellbeing programs and community support.
In 1976, the senior citizens’ clubrooms officially opened at 60 Campaspe St. They are still in use today.
Over the past 60 years, the club has seen many changes, including the establishment of the senior citizens’ op shop on Moore St and the expansion of its clubrooms.
A major chapter in the club’s recent history came during the 2022 floods, which badly damaged the op shop and impacted its members.
President Leanne Dullard, who has been involved with the club for eight years, said it had bounced back strongly after the floods despite losing some older members who were forced to relocate.
“We had about 110 members before the flood,” she said.
“We worked our way back up again after the flood ... a lot of people came back once we started doing things again, and we still have people joining quite often.”
As the original op shop building was damaged beyond repair, operations have temporarily shifted into one side of the clubrooms.
Through op shop proceeds and fundraising, the club runs regular bingo sessions, indoor bowls, social events and a monthly luncheon for its almost 100 members.
Rochester Senior Citizens Club secretary Rose Williamson and president Leanne Dullard.
Photo by
Lua Ikenasio
Secretary Rose Williamson said the greatest benefit of the club was the social connection it provided its members.
“You can see it at bingo ... for some of them it’s their only outing for the week. They come in, they chat, they laugh and they love seeing each other,” she said.
More than 80 members will come together at the Rochester Hotel on Thursday, May 28, from 1pm to mark the 60-year milestone.
The celebration will include lunch, live music, raffles and a birthday cake cut by the club’s oldest member.
While the celebration goes ahead, the club is still raising funds for a new flood-resilient, wheelchair-accessible building through its “buy a brick” campaign.
To help support the club into the future, people can purchase a symbolic brick, which will become part of the new op shop once built.
Purchases can be made directly at the temporary op shop or by contacting club secretary Rose Williamson on 0421 618 942.
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