Happy Hours with Meals Monthly - First Friday

Not the Chicken Kiev

Our first opening for the year, last Friday (4 Mar 22) was a great success with a large attendance and a lovely chicken Kiev meal with a cheesecake sweet to top it off, all from the Tanunda Lutheran Homes who provide most of our meals.

Several people submitted applications for membership and a couple of others asked for membership forms, so we'll have a few new people joining our happy group.

We were pleased to meet Mark Patton who will soon take up duty as our volunteer advocacy representative. 

A couple of committee members weren't able to attend and President Trevor Klose had to leave early, but all told, we had a very enjoyable evening.

Meals will be provided on the first Friday of each month and as Robin was asked to email people a reminder beforehand, he has agreed to do so. So, watch your inbox, but don't only turn up when we have meals, we look forward to seeing you at all Happy Hours.

Completing the "Saluting their Service" Programs

During 2020 and 2021 our sub-branch was fortunate enough to receive two separate annual grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs to:

1. Preserve Australia's wartime heritage and to involve people throughout the nation in a wide range of projects and activities that highlight the service and sacrifice of Australia's service personnel in wars, conflicts, and peace operations
2. Promote appreciation and understanding of the experiences of service and the roles that those who served have played in shaping the nation.

Thelma Zimmerman

Our programs focused on South Australian veterans and their families and were joint ventures with Christian Teusner's "The Emu Tree". Our sub-branch managed the grant and Christian did all the groundwork on our behalf recording hundreds of oral interviews and collecting hundreds of historical photographs. He also held displays at Ayres House, Adelaide, Tanunda, Port Pirie, Waikerie, Mount Gambier. 

Mrs Thelma Zimmerman, whose photo appears here served during World War II as did her husband. Mrs Zimmerman provided a very informative audo interview that reflects on life in her childhood. If you have a few minutes to listen to it, we highly recommend it - click here.

There are too many others who contributed to mention each of them, however, we appreciate every last one of them for allowing us to share their lives and helping make these programs a success.

We do have all of the audio recordings that can be searched here. You may even find a member of your family or someone you know.

The audio recordings and photographs will be distributed to a suitable agency for addition to our vast national collection of historical military resources. The DVA will advise whether the collection should be passed to the Australian War Museum, the National Archives, or some other relevant agency.

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We're Opening - 4 March 22!

 

We're delighted to advise that our Hut will be open on Friday, 4 March 22 with one of our usual meals available.

The Management Committee decided it will be safe to open for business from that date and proposes to provide one full meal per month and three Happy Hours where snacks will be available for purchase. These are expected to include party pies and sausage rolls etc on ad hoc occasions.

The water to the Hut has been turned off for some weeks during the ongoing construction and it's possible that construction will still be underway. The Bilyara Road entrance will most likely be inaccessible, but entry through the Elizabeth Street entrance and a temporary gate situated at your right when you enter the park will be possible. This gate will be opened shortly before 5 pm and locked when the last of us leave the park.

This is an arrangement we have with Barossa Council that will enable members to drive through the park to the Hut. An alternative is to park in Park Street near Langmeil Road and walk into the Hut via the tennis courts, however, the steps into the tennis park aren't easy to negotiate and will be best avoided if you have mobility challenges.

We look forward to seeing you at our first 2022 opening and if there is a significant change in arrangements between now and then, we will advise you.

Annual Subscriptions

Annual subscriptions of $40 for both affiliate and service members were due on 1 Jan 22. If you haven't yet paid but would like to pay by electronic transfer (EFT) now, you will find our bank details by clicking here:

While you're here, visit our Events page to get an update about forthcoming events.

Management Committee Meeting

The sub-branch Management Committee is to meet on 14 February 22 at a yet to be determined location. 

The Committee will determine whether we can safely open our Hut and if so,  schedule opening dates for the first semester.

All members will be advised when the Committee has made a decision which will be largely dependent upon the works program currently underway and whether there is safe and timely access to our Hut.

At the time of posting, it looks as though there is still a lot of work to be completed.

Stay tuned.