Seniors club on the rise
Bras d’Or numbers have more than doubled, thanks to aggressive leadership
It’s great to see seniors and pensioners organized and enjoying different events through the year.
The Bras d’Or Seniors and Pensioners Club is a good example. I sat down with their executive recently and they filled me in on a lot of their events and special days.
Their executive is as follows: president Brian Mauger, first vice-president Bob Bowins, second vice-president Sharon McGean, secretary Joan Skinner and treasurer Yvonne Mauger.
The club is located at 66 Main Street, Bras d’Or, and it has general business meetings on the first Monday of every month except in July and August.
Concerning membership, Owen Marsh, chair of the club’s cards committee said: “Thanks to an aggressive leadership their numbers have gone from 33 to 82.
“We are attracting junior seniors, so the club will be sustained, grow and provide additional good leadership.”
There’s no end to the committees the club has, namely, the bar committee, the darts committee, the kitchen committee, the entertainment committee, the cards committee, the building and maintenance committee, the membership committee, the visiting committee and the rental committee.
All of the club members meet every Monday for different activities such as bingo and 45’s card games. Every second Monday, they have a birthday night. They have dinners on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
Dances are held most months for members and guests; the band Joey and Amey provides the entertainment and one is planned for Sept. 13.
Ceilidhs are held for members and guests several times a year and they are entertained by the band Chalk Dust.
A picnic is held yearly in Kempt Head; the date for this year is not set yet. The washer toss tournament is very wellattended.
Beginning Tuesday, June 4, and the first Tuesday of the months thereafter, a progressive 45’s card game will be held due to a demand from our local card players.
A flea market is held every August which helps fund the group’s travels. Additional fundraising is carried out weekly with the 45’s card games on Thursday nights. The fall fair is their major source of fundraising, and it is held in October, this year on Oct. 18.
The Club is planning a oneday trip to Sherbrooke Village in September, and also a longrange trip overnight to a place not yet decided.
The club’s web site is www. brasdorseniorsclub.com where you can read the club’s history (it was established in 1976) and calendar of events. Local businesses can advertise on it, and one can download a membership form.
It also has a Facebook page. Bob said, “We welcome friends on our Facebook page.”
Finally, the Club’s email is brasdorseniors@gmail.com, and its phone number is 902-544-1087. Gordon Sampson founded the North Sydney Historical Society on Jan. 7, 1980, and selected the library as the centennial project out of 10 possible projects in 1985. He was an educator and administrator for 38 years, the last 28 at the Canadian Coast Guard College. He can be reached at gh.sampson@ns.sympatico.ca