Community & Business
26 May, 2025
Older men looking after older men
Clifton Area Men’s Group gathered together last Friday at the Dabblers Den in King Street to meet up with another like-minded men’s group The Older Men’s Network (TOMNET) from Toowoomba for a friendly get together and barbecue.
The Clifton Group meets every second Friday from 10am to midday in the Dabblers Den with the purpose of supporting one another in retirement.
Danny Daniels travels from Allora each fortnight and said the group has been in operation for four years.
Danny is also a member of TOMNET, a point that recognises the similarities of the two organisations.
President of the Toowoomba group Bernie Moran said, ”At TOMNET, we’re involved in many different activities. We get together regularly, visit isolated men in aged care and retirement villages, mentor youth, cook at community barbecues, and we look out for each other as we chart the course of retirement.”
TOMNET member Darrell Pierpoint said one of the most satisfying things he has done is working as a mentor in the Flexi School annex of Centenary Heights State High School.
Flexi School is a program for senior students who have become disengaged with the educational process at regular schools and now follow a different course with specialised teachers and volunteers such as Darrell and other TOMNET members.
Darrell said the benefits of the program were a two way street as he gained much satisfaction from acting as a mentor.
Retirement can be a stressful and lonely existence for some men who have worked full time for most of their life and find the adjustment to retirement difficult.
The Clifton Area Men’s Group exists to support men in retirement by offering an opportunity to chat with other men in a similar situation to discover they are not alone.
The Friday barbecue at the Dabblers was a relaxed meeting of men enjoying
the iconic benefits of the humble sausage on a slice of bread and an informal chat on whatever topic seemed important, topical or entertaining.
The Clifton Area Men’s Group welcomes any retired men from the area to join them at the Dabblers where the six current members would love to hear your story.
The Toowoomba TOMNET group has over 200 members and is very active in a range of volunteer activities and also welcomes new members.
