May 2026

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BOOK GROUP

This month we are reading ‘Unveiled’ by Theophila Pratt. This is a story of surviving Gloriavale. A powerful account of one young woman’s journey to overcome the trauma of the past and find her voice.
Ros

CYCLING GROUP

We usually have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3rd Monday and the last Friday but this month we fitted in a third ride. We ride mainly on dedicated cycleways around Christchurch and further afield. Most members have e-bikes. New members are always welcome.
On Friday 1 May we cycled from the Awatea Rd entrance to the Southern Motorway to Hornby and around Broomfield. Then we joined the South Express Cycleway through to Church Corner. From here we rode on the Nor’West Arc through to the Pioneer Centre then onto the Christchurch Adventure Park for coffee at their café. There were 13 of us on this ride.
On Monday 18 May the group cycled from the Awatea Rd entrance to the Southern Motorway to Lincoln on the Little River Rail Trail. In Lincoln they then explored some of the scenic cycle tracks through the wetlands and new suburbs. After coffee at The Pantry they cycled to Tai Tapu then onto Halswell. There were 8 members on the ride.
On Friday 29 May, 8 of us met at Grimseys Rd near the QEII roundabout and cycled towards Kaiapoi on the Northern Corridor Cycleway. Once we crossed the Waimak we rode along the track in the Regional Park and up on the stop banks taking time to ride out to where the Kaiapoi River meets the Waimak at Burke’s Point. We then rode into Kaiapoi for coffee at Paris for the Weekend Cafe. We noticed lots of new planting in red zone areas on our way back to the Main Nth Rd cycleway and Grimseys Rd. It was a beautiful sunny, still but fresh morning.
Mary

FAMILY HISTORY

Looking back at an old photo, trying to determine when and where it was taken, the possible cause of expressions of the subjects and who were the subjects was the focus of the May meeting, These can all add to the stories of our families and allow our descendants a glimpse of their ancestors.
Family History can be very interesting and if you would like to find out more about this group please contact Carole or Julia
We meet at 1.30pm on the third Tuesday of each month.

HISTORY GROUP

Continuing our on-line course on Australian History. This month unit 5: Exploration of the Continent.
Ros

PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP

At our May meeting we reviewed our recent photography experiences in taking photos of autumn colours including the challenges to find patterns in our own gardens and in public parks etc. Of interest were the shots of the reasonable sized group of quail in the botanic gardens including shots of their efforts in feeding off tall flower heads. We then photographed some unusually coloured leaves found in the botanic gardens, arranging them in different patterns. We also looked at photos taken while members were overseas.
Our June meeting will be on Friday 19 June at 10am at Eric and Judy’s when we will look at more ideas for photographing patterns around us.
Eric

SCRABBLE GROUP

We are pleased to say we have our full complement of 10 members again, with only one person expressing interest in joining our group at this time. We meet twice a month on the second and third Tuesday with the limitation of meeting in private homes, hence our numbers are limited to 10 people. Members of our group would willingly assist any other interested people to start up another Scrabble Group should there be sufficient interest. Contact a committee member or Judith, who is the Convenor of this Interest Group.
Judith

SINGING GROUP

Our enthusiastic group of singers meets every couple of weeks to sing known songs from across all genres, with new songs added here and there to keep our brains alive!
Please do come and add your voice to ours and feel the many benefits of singing together for pure joy ! No musical experience required, just you and your voice.
We would love you to come and see if this is for you, so give it a try, you’ll be made very welcome!
All song sheets provided at minimal cost. We meet at the Halswell Community Hall, 1st and 3rd Fridays each month, 2 to 3 pm.
Bronwen