L-R Michelle Connell from Days for Girls, Yarrawonga Senior Citizens president Dot Williams, and John White from the Men’s Shed at last week’s Senior’s Expo.
There was plenty to talk about at the Yarrawonga Senior Citizens Centre last Wednesday as local seniors discovered how much help, support and friendship are available in their own community.
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As part of the 2026 Victorian Seniors Festival, the first Seniors Expo brought health, aged care and community organisations together under one roof.
One of the biggest challenges facing seniors is the increasing reliance on computers and online services.
About 100 people were able to forget the websites and online forms for an afternoon and instead talk to someone face-to-face, ask questions and discover what help was available.
Yarrawonga Senior Citizens president Dot Williams said the event aimed to make information easier to find.
“A lot of people don’t know what they’re entitled to,” Dot said.
“A lot of people struggle with that when they get older, and these people are here to help them.”
“Technology is really hard for them,”
Dot has been president for eight years and a member for 15 years, previously serving as secretary.
Her contribution was recently recognised following a nomination for a Victorian Seniors Award, with Dot to receive a citation and certificate acknowledging her community service.
The club has 81 members and offers carpet bowls, chair exercises, knitting, craft and sewing groups, with chair exercise sessions alone attracting up to 30 or 40 people.
But behind the activities is something even more important, connection.
“A lot of older people are very, very lonely,” Dot said.
Lynette Drysdale says at 87 there is still something new to discover.
Among Wednesday’s visitors was 87-year-old Lynette Drysdale, who has called Yarrawonga home since she and her husband turned the holiday house they bought in 1993 into something more permanent.
Even at 87, Lynette found there was still something new to discover.
An active member of local knitting and quilting groups, she decided to attend after hearing about the expo the previous day.
“I thought it might be interesting to go through the process,” she said, before adding with a laugh, “I know I’m not old”.
“There are a lot of things that I didn’t realise were available to us.”
The afternoon also delivered an unexpected reunion when Lynette met a Yarrawonga Mulwala Men’s Shed member who had known her husband, Jimmy.
“I had a bit of a chat to him, and it was nice to catch up,” she said.
Her secret to staying young at heart is equally straightforward; keep your sense of humour, stay busy and keep up with what the children and grandchildren are doing.
Organisations attending included Yarrawonga Health, Yarrawonga Mulwala Community and Learning Centre, Dementia Australia, FamilyCare, YMCA Victoria, Primary Care Connect, Goulburn Valley Libraries, MHA Care, Moira Shire Council Community Recovery and Resilience, PALS, Yarrawonga Mulwala Men’s Shed and St John Ambulance Victoria.
For anyone wondering whether the Senior Citizens Centre might be for them, Dot’s message was simple.
“Come along and just see what we do. I think they would be really surprised at all the help that’s available to them.”
