TDHS Timboon Dance Group Donation 2021 Annual Appeal Community Bus

Timboon dancing its way towards a community bus

Photo Caption: (l-r) TDHS CEO Rebecca Van Wollingen gets her groove on with members of the Timboon Dance Group – Linda Pender, Lorraine Wilson and Rosie Armistead.

Hundreds of hours spent dancing in the Timboon Masonic Centre has resulted in yet another generous donation to Timboon and District Healthcare Service’s (TDHS) 2021 Annual Appeal for a community bus.

The Timboon Dance Group has donated $3000 to the cause, which continues to build momentum and has now surpassed $100,000 raised.

Group members Lorraine Wilson, Linda Pender and Rosie Armistead presented a cheque to CEO Rebecca Van Wollingen recently. They explained that the sum equated to 600 people paying $5 on Wednesday nights to attend the weekly dance group sessions.

Mrs Pender, who is also a TDHS Social Support Group (SSG) volunteer, said the bus would be a massive benefit and facilitate even more social outings for elderly community members.

“We had a chat about the bus appeal and it was a pretty easy decision for the dance group to make this donation,” she said.

“So many older people are stuck at home, don’t have family nearby and Social Support Group gives them a reason to go out and mix socially with other people.

“The bus will just make that so much easier and better. More people will be able to go on our trips and we won’t have to rush home.”

Mrs Wilson, who used to drive for SSG, said the bus would be used to take larger groups of community members to Morning Melodies, to the movies, the David Newman Centre, croquet in Terang, fishing, ten pin bowling and even things further afield like zoos in Werribee and Halls Gap.

“The other major benefit will be helping our two social support groups in Timboon and Cobden mix even more. Cobden members will be able to come to Timboon on Thursdays and Fridays and Timboon members will be able to go to Cobden on Tuesdays and Wednesdays,” she said.

“It’s not just about taking people places though – the bus trips themselves are really fun, social outings. We have raffles on the bus, play games, do trivia, we get dressed up and there’s even bus mascots. We have Elmo at Cobden and Gremlin for Timboon,” she said.

Mrs Armistead said the Timboon Dance Group was started in 2013 and everyone was welcome to attend.

“We do old time dancing, westerns, partner line dancing and line dancing every Wednesday night at 7.30pm in the Masonic Hall here in Timboon,” she said.

“I think our youngest dancer is 22 and some are nearly 80 years old. It’s open to anybody and everybody and sometimes we have as many as 40 people there dancing to music from Yvonne Lawson’s laptop.

“Everyone pays $5 to attend and that’s how this money has been raised. It’s a great social thing, it keeps us all moving, we enjoy supper and it’s just fun…it’s what you make it.

“We have people drive from Warrnambool and Koroit to attend as well, so that’s money from outside Timboon that’s going towards this bus appeal which is fantastic as well.”

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