Seniors make up the most peaceful mob in NZ
There’s a group of people that call themselves the mob in Waipukurau, Hawke’s Bay, but they’re a peaceful group. Mob stands for mobility, and they are the Central Hawke’s Bay Scooter Mob, formed by Super Gold card holders.
Gloria Mason is the founder of the group. She’s also the eldest, turning 87 this year.
When she first rode her scooter through town, she’d greet people on scooters. But it turned out nobody would reply.
“Everybody on the scooter would just drive on. I felt sad. Everybody there seemed lonely and isolated,” said Mason.
That’s when the Scooter Mob idea came out. She hoped to make riding a mobility scooter around Waipukurau a more sociable activity.
Graham Rudd saw Gloria’s ad in the local “CHB Mail” newspaper six years ago.
“I thought, that’s something I like doing outdoors.”
Soon he became one of the first members and had something to look forward to every week. That was in 2016 with just three members. Today there are 18.
They meet every Monday, weather permitting, to have a picnic in the park, ride to a cafe, or just go for a scoot around town.
Caroline Buchanan, 79, has been in the Mob for four years.
“It’s great to meet new people and get out into the fresh air,” she said.
Sometimes, they head further afield, across the swing bridge to Waipawa, but their outings don’t always go to plan. On their way to Waipawa, Graham Rudd had a wee curb accident.
“I fell over, and Gloria was right behind me, then we both ended up on the ground,” he said.
Recalling the memory, Gloria
Mason laughed and said she still had the bruise to prove it.
Another time, Mason rode the scooter with her dog, and suddenly passed out.
“I woke up and found an ambulance was there. I might have been dehydrated, I don’t know. But the dog stayed with me all the time,” she said.
“My daughter wasn’t impressed with me. She said, ‘Mum, you’ve got to stop doing this.’ But we won’t be stopped. We still like to get out and enjoy ourselves.”
Diabetic Eric Dunbar lost his left leg two years ago, but he hasn’t lost his sense of adventure.
Eric remembers he and another member, Raymond going up to Lindsay Bush.
“When we got to the bridge over here, I complained about my scooter was too slow. Raymond came over and offered to swap scooters with me.
“Anyway, I hopped on his scooter, which has a bit of speed. The next thing
I know, he’s passing me. He didn’t tell me there was low and high gear. So he had a big laugh at me.”
While many of the group didn’t see themselves riding a mobility scooter into their old age, there’s been a change of heart.
Gloria Mason got her first scooter from her stepfather.
“I was horrified. I said to him, ‘I don’t want one of those. What do you think? I am not old enough for that’.”
Jan Lucas was the same. She thought she would never need a scooter when her husband, Graham Rudd, joined the Mob in 2016. But she changed her mind when she had a knee problem.
Life is counting down for the members but memories are adding up.
“One lady passed away who was a good keen member. Her family had taken her scooter to the church and put her ashes in the front basket. And that was quite touching.”
As they scoot into their golden years, maintaining a sense of humour is key.
“We’ve all got our own problems. But we can talk about it and laugh about it,” said Eric.
“Everybody’s got a joke, and everybody’s got a problem. And if somebody in the group is in trouble, everybody pitches in,” Eddie Nightingale said.
Anyone on a scooter can join the Mob. Just head down to Russell Park in Waipukurau on a Monday at noon, and bring your sense of humour.
We won’t be stopped. We still like to get out and enjoy ourselves. Gloria Mason