Golden Age Club

The Notre-Dame Community Centre is located in the heart of the village, on Route 115 and near the river. It is a hub where people gather to eat, dance, play, and celebrate. Also found on-site are baseball fields, a horseshoe club, walking circle, canteen, etc. Social organisations such as the Knights of Columbus and the Golden Age Club have their local within the Centre.

In November 1973, Father Désiré Melanson, parish priest, called people to a meeting to form a Golden Age Club. In December of the same year, the group had its first president, John Marc Bourque.

The first meetings of the committee take place every week in different residences. On Saturday evenings, members meet in the church basement for recreational evenings consisting of card games, bingo and billiards, as well as sales of poutine râpées.

In 1978, the development of premises was made possible as part of the New Horizons program. In fact, the renovations of the church basement were carried out at a total cost of $130,000. Card tournaments, notably the game of 200, were organized in 1980 for the surrounding population.

A first trip was organized with the Moncton Transit in July 1982 at a cost of $492. That same year, another grant in the amount of $808 was obtained from Nouveaux Horizons; the Club is then under the presidency of Téléx Richard.

On May 29, 1984, the constitution of the club was signed, the president of which was Ernest Langis. The executive committee reviews it in 2010 and the changes are approved at the annual meeting in April.

In 1993, following an agreement signed between the Athletics Club and the Golden Age Club, the organization moved to premises in the basement of the Notre-Dame Community Center. The president is then Bernard Doucet and the secretary is Thomas LeBlanc.

The following year, in 1994, Thomas LeBlanc succeeded Bernard Doucet. He retained the position of president until 2009, that is to say for fifteen years.

From 2007 to 2010, the Club received four grants totaling $62,955 as part of the Nouveaux Horizons program. With this money, the first project resulted in the implementation of a weekly physical activity program for a large number of seniors. Another project is to create a walking path lined with a metal fence; This trail is located behind the Community Center. The purchase of equipment and furniture is carried out as a third project.

With the amount of $15,000 received in 2010, the fourth project consists of helping to redo the roof of the Community Center; we provided the establishment with a refrigerated bar, carts and we helped pay for the installation of an outdoor billboard.

In addition to the New Horizons projects, in August 2012 and September 2013, our Club received the respective sums of $1,300 and $1,350 from the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Healthy Living of New Brunswick. This helps with the survival of Thursday afternoon dance exercises and keeps seniors in shape.

Unfortunately, in January 2011, under the weight of the snow, the roof of the Center built in 1974 collapsed. The day before this disaster, eighty people were playing cards. Divine Providence surely protected these people! A year later, this same group of people are the first to indulge in their favourite leisure activity in a brand new, modern building.

Currently, social activities of all kinds take place throughout the year, including card tournaments, physical exercises, recreational evenings, occasional dinners and many other activities thanks to government subsidies and the generosity of people.

In addition, the Golden Age Club has offered, since 1978, a free luncheon during funerals with the generosity of the people of the deceased person’s locality with the participation of volunteers and the financial assistance of the Caisse populaire and the Notre-Dame Express company.

It is appropriate to highlight the volunteer work of Mrs. Amédée Léger, Jos and Évangeline Doucet, Edgar and Germaine Gaudet, Thomas LeBlanc, Sara Goguen, Aurore LeBlanc and Ernest Gallant.

Thanks to volunteering and community involvement, the Golden Age Club hopes to continue to offer services and benefits for the well-being of the surrounding population for decades to come. By Geneva Léger.

2013 to 2023

The Notre-Dame Senior Citizens Club continues to be very active with its various social activities which take place throughout the year, in particular, Monday evenings of cards, physical exercises, recreational evenings, occasional dinners and special events and the annual trip to Prince Edward Island, among others.

During the Covid pandemic of the 2020s, activities decreased somewhat. A sad consequence of the restrictions imposed during this period was the end of the free post-funeral tea, a service offered by the Club for over forty years.

Today, the Club continues its activities and has more than a hundred members. Monthly meetings are held and special projects are always on the agenda. And in this year of 2023, the trip to Egmond Bay (IPE) was particularly appreciated. The Christmas meal is planned for November 19. And the main issue is undoubtedly the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Club which will take place today, October 1, at the Community Center.

It must be said that Club members are very generous towards their community and continue to support monthly fundraisers by volunteering at poutine sales and at the community breakfast, among others.

The Notre-Dame-de-Kent Senior Citizens Club is an organization with a social mission that aims to improve the quality of life of its senior members and to partner with the Seniors’ Federation )s of New Brunswick as well as other organizations that have the well-being of this population at heart.

Today’s board of directors: President Guy Chavarie, Vice-President Simonne Pellerin, Treasurer Jeanita Goguen and Secretary Germaine Montague.