by Peter Dunell
I am going to depart from my usual reporting on our activities for the month and instead share some thoughts on recent local events in January.
There was never going to be a sudden change of fortune when the clock clicked over to New Years Day. We are going to have to find a way to live with this virus for some time to come, hopefully shortened by the new vaccines. It seems we don’t learn our lessons very well when we see the reaction of people binge buying at supermarkets at the mention of a lock-down.
I was appalled to see elderly people having to stand in a queue for up to an hour and a half at my local supermarket, when my fellow residents went on a spending spree that emptied shelves of some essential items for the sake of three days isolation. Their trolleys over-flowing with multiples of the one product not just the weekly necessities.
Having worked in the food retailing industry for over 35 years, I can attest to the reliability of our major supermarket operators to maintain supplies if normal buying habits are followed. It is most stressful to seniors who buy very few food items and household essentials when they cannot access these on what is often a once a week shop.
Not withstanding this experience, we seniors are a resilient bunch and we are still planning an active year ahead through trips and activities. We have become flexible in our expectations if we have to change timing and destinations at a moments notice. The most important thing is remaining in touch with our fellow members so that loneliness and isolation don’t cause health problems.
If you have just retired or moved into the area and want to remain connected to others, then contacting National Seniors Forest Lake Branch on 0404 829 518 may be just what you are looking for. We hold our meetings every second Thursday of the month at 9.30am in the National Serviceman’s Association Hall, 907 Boundary Road, Wacol.
Check out our Branch website www.forestlakenationalseniors.org.au/ and our Facebook page, Forest Lake Branch National Seniors Australia Group.
To read more National Seniors Forest Lake Branch articles, go here.
