Sisters Jennifer Thomas and Julie Gullie have started a ‘meet and greet’ event.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
Two sisters have joined forces to give locals and visitors alike the opportunity to come together and socialise.
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The ‘meet and greet’ sessions came about after Jennifer Thomas recognised a need for a social group or activity for people her age in Echuca, especially as a newcomer to town.
She began by putting the word out on Facebook and was surprised by the positive response she received.
The sessions are held at the CocknBull Boutique Hotel, owned by Ms Thomas’ sister Julie Gullie and her partner. Together, the two women run the sessions.
Ms Thomas said the aim of the event was to give people something to do outside of work.
“There’s so many people that go to work and come home ... they've got no outside life, they don’t know people, or they have trouble mixing with people and that’s what we’re aiming at — to get people out of the home instead of staying home,” she said.
“We (lit) a big fire outside, and we sat around the fire and talked and laughed our heads off for hours.
“It turned out that one lady who has lived here for 30 years used to be our neighbour in the village 30 or 40 years ago.”
Guests can enjoy a drink and pizza while keeping warm near a fire.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
While the event was initially for people new to town, the sisters found that people who had lived here for years were also in need of somewhere to meet new people.
Guests are able to purchase a wine and pizza or enjoy a free cappuccino made by Mrs Gullie’s husband before pulling up a chair around the fire.
While Ms Thomas and Mrs Gullie are around to help keep conversations going, they have found that there is no awkwardness and the chatter flows naturally.
Mrs Gullie said the gatherings offer something different for people between 50 to 70 years of age.
“The younger ones will go to the clubs and pubs ... but there’s nowhere for the older age group,” she said.
“Some of our age (group) might go to the pubs if they’re used to going to the pub and everything, but you don’t go sit at someone else's table and start talking to them.
“People can go to a pub, have a drink, have a meal and still never talk to anyone.”
Although the event has only been running for around a month, it has received increasing interest online.
Aside from the newcomers and long-time locals, interest has also come from people looking to move to Echuca and people on holiday hoping to catch a session once they return.
The women hope guests are able to use the event to make new friends.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
Ms Thomas said they didn’t mind if the turnout fluctuated, as long as people were able to mix among others.
“This is designed to make people mix ... we don’t care if two people or three people come, if it helps them to be able to mix with other people or to get out of the house or something, that’s good for us,” she said.
“We don’t even care if we get different people each week ... if they connect with other people and find themselves this little group of friends, then they can go on their merry way if they want, or they can stay.”
The meet and greets are held at the CocknBull every Thursday from 6pm.
On the same night, the CocknBull also run a cards night in its formal room, which is open to everyone.
For others looking for a more relaxing time, guests can also get a group together and book in a high tea or attend a live music session on Sundays from 1pm to 4pm.
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