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TPI VICTORIA INC. • CHINup WINTER 2018 • WWW.TPIVIC.COM 31
Eastern Suburbs

TPI Social Club

Lunching at Fountains Restaurant… &ŽƵŶƚĂŝŶƐ ZĞƐƚĂƵƌĂŶƚ
We enjoyed an excellent three-course Fountains Restaurant is Box Hill Institute’s premier training restaurant.
meal prepared by the hospitality students KƉĞƌĂƚŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ϯϬ LJĞĂƌƐ͕ ŝƚ ŚĂƐ ƉƌŽĚƵĐĞĚ ƌĞŶŽǁŶĞĚ ĂŶĚ ĂǁĂƌĚͲǁŝŶŶŝŶŐ ĐŚĞĨƐ͘
at the Box Hill TAFE College. It was a set KƵƌ ƋƵĂůŝƚLJ ŵĞŶƵ ĐŚĂŶŐĞƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ƐĞĂƐŽŶƐ ĂŶĚ ƐŚŽǁĐĂƐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ŽĨ ƐĞĂƐŽŶĂů
menu with alternating dishes at a very ƉƌŽĚƵĐĞ͘ KƵƌ ĐƵůŝŶĂƌLJ ƐƚLJůĞ ĨƵƐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ƚƌĂĚŝƚŝŽŶĂů ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ŵŽĚĞƌŶ͘ zŽƵ ǁŝůů
reasonable pensioner’s price. The ĞŶũŽLJ Ă ůĂ ĐĂƌƚĞ ĂŶĚ ďƵĨĨĞƚ ĚŝŶŝŶŐ͕ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ Ă ĐŚŽŝĐĞ ŽĨ ďĞǀĞƌĂŐĞƐ ĨƌŽŵ ŽƵƌ
ambiance of the restaurant is lovely and ǁĞůůͲƐƚŽĐŬĞĚ ďĂƌ͘
we were made very welcome. Some
people were a little surprised at the small
pear in our desert, but it tasted delicious.
The drink menu was extensive with many
of us trying different cocktails. Parking is good at the Car park around the corner at no cost. Overall, it was a most
enjoyable day for everyone except for Julie, whose cocktail lacked a bit of punch.

Another Day – Another Trip… In addition, and if you are Interested…
A small number of Members went down by car, some Our next mid-month lunch is on Wednesday, 18 July at
car-pooling, which made the trip very enjoyable. Many the Box Hill Golf Club, Station Street at 12 noon - All
meet at one of a number of Cafes at Mornington for welcome
coffee and cake to boost their energy, while others were
ready to shop until they dropped! There is a market If you are attending please email Adrian Wain on
every Wednesday in the main street and a large influx wain.adrian@bigpond.com or phone 0402 065 059 to
of people sampling goodies etc. After shopping, we book.
proceeded to Frankston RSL for lunch before returning
home - as usual, the RSL provides prompt service and I picked up a hitchhiker last night. He seemed surprised
that I’d pick up a stranger and asked, “Thanks, but why
reasonably priced large meals - a good day was had by would you pick me up? How do you know I’m not a serial
all. killer?”

North East & Border I told him the chanced of two serial killers being in one
TPI Social Club care would be astronomical!

North East & Border meets once a month, As our attending numbers fell we opened Through our President, Merle Kelly, we
for lunch, usually on the first DVA payday up to any ex-service member and invite members from other clubs/groups
of the month at pub of the Presidents dependant, this worked for some years but with which she is involved, these are
choosing. We are based out of as caravanning and extended holidays Wodonga War Widows, Laurel Club, Laurel
Albury/Wodonga, as that is where the bulk grew in popularity numbers again fell. lunch group, Ex-Service, Albury War
of the members live. Thus, we now find that 50% of attendees Widows, PVA. We usually operate on the
are from groups other than TPI. principle of first in gets the seat, TPI/EDA
We have been conducting bus trips for get advance notice.
some 17 years, with the arrival of Chopper Our most successful long trips have been
Barclay as the TPI Country Representative. to Lakes Entrance for four nights and The bus we hire is normally a 21-seater
Prior to that BBQ’s were conducted by Alf Echuca for 3 nights, but such long trips with if needed an 11-seater to
Keevers, which he did for many years, he ended three years ago, we now do more supplement. Buses in Victoria require a
had I believe a very loyal attendance of war trips but confine them to local day trips. As driver with a “heavy” licence when they
widows (WW2). this seems to suit our aging demographic. exceed 11 seats we have a non-veteran
driver who charges a minimal fee or
The change over 17 years has been Day trips are undertaken to places such as sometimes a club member will offer to
remarkable, not so much the aging Yarrawonga, Bright, Holbrook, Benalla, drive. The smaller 11-seater does not
patronage, but the advent of the Grey Wangaratta, any place within a two hours’ require an endorsed licence driver and is
Nomad. It seems that between Cruise drive that serves a good lunch, with a usually driven by a club member.
Ships and Caravans those over 60 who shopping point somewhere in between.
can avoid winter completely. Five trips a year has been the minimum The insurance excess is $1,000, should
number of trips undertaken. the bus sustain any damage, is taken out
In addition, homeowner retirees are in with Hertz, at a cost of $50 per bus.
many cases much wealthier than a Sometimes TPI/EDA members from the
generation ago thanks to property values local area visited attend, e.g. Wangaratta Want to attend - Call Merle on (02) 6059
sky rocketing, opening up unheard of types may attend when lunch in Wang or 8466 email merlekelly43.2@hotmail.com
holiday opportunities. nearby town. and if you cannot contact Merle, Lloyd on
0402 222 844.