For good of all women
Palmy social club marks its first birthday
Anna Goodall didn’t want to make a solo trek to Christchurch to see her son. So the new Palmerston North resident put a post on social media offering a lift.
She ended up with two passengers, one of whom was happy to share the driving.
The response got Goodall thinking. She moved to Palmerston North at the start of last year to be near another son. A widow, she had left a big group of friends in Warkworth.
She didn’t want to be lonely so decided to build on the momentum her road-trip post generated, and founded the Palmerston North Women’s Social Club. The first gathering was at Victoria Esplanade.
The Facebook-based group now has more than 1200 members and celebrated its first anniversary last month. “I thought it would be nice to have a few friends, I didn’t expect over a thousand,” Goodall says.
She doesn’t know why the group has exploded like it has; every day she is adding new members.
Her four children think her latest venture is hilarious and refer to their mother as a people collector. Goodall is from London and moved to New Zealand about 30 years ago.
She says she believes in people and has no qualms picking up hitchhikers. The former nurse likes people, always has, and says she can never have too many people.
Her initial idea was a group for women who were 60-plus, but younger women asked to join and Goodall discovered there are a lot of lonely people in the city.
They might be widows, or their friends now have children making it hard to go out. They could be new to Palmerston North. Goodall says the city is growing like crazy and new residents are seeking contacts and things to do. Some women have difficulty finding interests outside the home.
The group’s events are not age specific and she has been amazed by the number of younger women wanting to learn to knit or crochet.
She feels societal changes such as people no longer living near extended families could be a reason women are seeking someone to teach them handcrafts; the lack of night classes could be another reason. Loneliness affects all age groups, she says.
Not a shy person, Goodall is, however, aware of the courage some women need to muster to attend an event. She is in awe of people who force themselves to come along for the first time.
She and the two other administrators — Amanda Dowling and Nikki Maw — will make a point of greeting new people. The first step is so important, she says. Events range from brunch to cocktails, book group to games night, movies to op shopping, and are in response to feedback from members. The group’s motto is “don’t sit at home lonely — reach out and catch up with others”.
A new initiative is quiet coffee. One person talks at a time, providing the chance to hear from everyone present. Goodall says it has been amazing to see a woman raise an issue and other members help. This response makes such a difference to that person. The way women are connecting proves the group is worthwhile. Members also organise their own events by posting questions such as “I’m keen to go to a movie, who wants to come?”, and use the group to seek a flatmate or recommendations for tradespeople. Goodall says she gets a buzz when she hears things have gone well.
I thought it would be nice to have a few friends, I didn’t expect over a thousand
Anna Goodall
For more information find Palmerston North Womens Social Club on Facebook. It is free to join.