Seniors outrage at hub move

KORUMBURRA Senior Citizens Club members have opted not to move into the new Korumburra Community Hub building, with the club’s president Janne Grenon saying safety concerns were behind the decision.

“Some of our members are in their 90s, a lot of them have walking frames, some have gophers and others walking sticks, and they said they would resign if we went to the Hub,” Janne said.

“The whole group voted on it.”

Janne added that the group has since approached the Austral Hotel and will be holding luncheons there in future.

“We’re very thankful because there’s plenty of parking and there’s a ramp to get in,” she said.

Janne doesn’t believe the concerns of Korumburra Senior Citizens Club members were given sufficient consideration.

“The shire brought up the architects to talk to us and we explained the problem but they weren’t interested,” she said.

A South Gippsland Shire Council spokesperson outlined the situation from council’s point of view.

“South Gippsland Shire Council has met with all community groups who are set to vacate existing Council buildings and move to the Korumburra Community Hub on a number of occasions, and this includes multiple meetings with the Senior Citizens group,” the spokesperson said.

The council statement indicated that group stakeholder meetings, one-on-one meetings and site visits have occurred over recent years.

Council acknowledged the decision of the Korumburra Senior Citizens Club not to move into the Community Hub building, stressing that council remains supportive of the group and is willing to help find a solution.

“Council acknowledges this decision and will work with the Senior Citizens to identify other possible venues for the group, if requested,” the spokesperson said, something president Janne said the club has not previously been advised of.

It was also made clear Korumburra Senior Citizens Club will still be welcome at the Hub should members change their minds.

However, that appears unlikely at this stage, particularly with the group having decided to hold a garage sale to sell off its club assets.

The Senior Citizens Club has won support on social media, with people commenting on the issue on the ‘Korumburra Community Noticeboard’ Facebook page, which prompted Cr Jenni Keerie to move to alleviate concerns.

Margaret Ferguson posted that she is worried about the elderly, commenting on the steepness of the Hub area for parking and walking.

As well as her council role, Jenni manages Milpara Community House that is set to be the Hub’s head tenant, and responded to Margaret’s post saying accessibility has been factored into the design of the new community facility.

“The parking is actually taking advantage of the flatter areas rather than the slopes, and there will be accessible parking spaces right beside the entrance pathways,” Cr Keerie said, adding there is a lift between the two floors.

Everything has to go at seniors’ Korumburra garage sale

KORUMBURRA Senior Citizens Club is selling up, declaring its June Garage Sales “due to forced relocation”.

The doors of the Korumburra Senior Citizens Centre will be open on the first two weekends of the month with a wide range of items available.

A piano and organ that have brought joy to members during many concerts are available, alongside an array of functional goods.

Fridges, a microwave, urn, tables, chairs, crockery, cutlery, general kitchen utensils, and trolleys are among the offerings.

So are bowling mats and bowls.

The sale is scheduled to run on Saturday and Sunday, June 3 and 4, and June 10 and 11, between 10am and 1pm each day, unless sold out.

Arrangements can be made to view items prior to sale days by ringing Jan on 5655 1458.

Payments are by cash, or cheque by arrangement.