![Kempsey Kookaburra RSL Day Club coordinator Maxine Mackenzie and member Neil Elphick are looking forward to another year of the social club. Picture by Emily Walker Kempsey Kookaburra RSL Day Club coordinator Maxine Mackenzie and member Neil Elphick are looking forward to another year of the social club. Picture by Emily Walker](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/179373098/6dafe62b-093e-4506-8ee8-91cee73e84a5.jpg/r157_24_1504_852_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
When Neil Elphick lost his wife after her battle with cancer, he was looking for something else to occupy his time.
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"I was sort of looking for something to do, something to get involved with," he said.
"The Kookaburra Club came up and that's why I joined."
The Kempsey Kookaburra RSL Day Club is a social club for those looking for company and wanting to meet other members of the community.
The club, which is attended mostly by retired residents, meets every Friday morning at 9:30am at the Kempsey Macleay RSL sub branch Memorial Hall to play bingo, cards, and enjoy a two course lunch together.
Membership is free but lunch is $10 with bingo only costing $5 to play.
The club's coordinator Maxine Mackenzie said that the club was about getting people communicating and mixing together.
"Everybody is mixing in now and it's really really good," she said.
"It makes people laugh and this is what we want," Mr Elphick said.
"We want people to communicate and have fun."
Coming out of COVID-19
![The Kempsey Kookaburra RSL Day Club has had a long history in the Macleay Valley. File picture. The Kempsey Kookaburra RSL Day Club has had a long history in the Macleay Valley. File picture.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/179373098/10ca32c2-0316-440e-b0bf-fd36ea8e2e9a.jpg/r0_32_1093_647_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Kookaburra RSL Day Club has had a successful history in the Macleay Valley and has operated for over 20 years.
Prior to 2020, the club had approximately 26 members but following the COVID-19 pandemic, membership has dropped to roughly 15 attendees.
The pandemic has had an impact on the group's numbers with some residents nervous to leave their homes, members passing away or unable to attend after receiving surgery.
Day trips the group used to take also eventually came to an end with bus hires and social distancing proving to be a difficult feat.
The group finally were able to return to in person events in March 2022 and have slowly begun to return to business as usual.
"It wound up a bit...but it would be good if we got up to some more," Ms Mackenzie said.
"We're going to try and get some bus trips this year and go out for lunch."
The club will also be looking at bringing in members of community groups to talk to members about opportunities available to them in the Macleay Valley.
"We try and do things that suits everybody, not just one or two in a group," Ms Mackenzie said.
Forming friendships
The club will be having it's first gathering of the year on Friday (February 3) starting at 9:30am.
Despite being on a holiday break since December 2022, plenty of members have formed real friendships with each other outside of the club and have met up outside of the weekly catch up.
Ms Mackenzie and Mr Elphick have noticed how the club has had a positive impact on people's lives.
"They're coming out of their shell," Ms Mackenzie said.
"That's the difference it can make to a persons life."
Ms Mackenzie agreed that there was a problem with loneliness in Kempsey and said that many people don't verbally communicate with one another especially with the rise of mobile phones.
"It's like they're in their own little cocoon and they don't want to communicate anymore," Mr Elphick said.
"I guess as you get on to our age, that sort of thing can be very confronting...not being able to communicate with people."
Ms Mackenzie admitted that when she first joined the group, she only knew a couple of people there.
It was hard to start at first but the more she talked with the others, the easier it became.
"I came in more and more and then you know everybody,
The more you come along and the more you mix, the others start to mix too."
For new members it might seem a bit daunting reaching out but Ms Mackenzie said that new members can always give her a call
"If they don't want to come here straight up, they can always give me a ring and ask," she said.
"I can go and see them and say 'well this is what we do'.
"We don't want to push them."
Mr Elphick said it would be good to get new people to the club.
"Don't be frightened to make the call," he said.
"You've got to be prepared to take that first step."
The Kempsey Kookaburra RSL Day Club will be meeting every Friday from 9:30am at the Kempsey Macleay RSL sub branch Memorial Hall on York Lane.
Those interested in joining can contact Maxine Mackenzie on 0419 251 361
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