Lake Street Auto Service has been offering discounts to Gold Card holders for years. Here, the Lake Street crew line up with seminar organiser Florence Shearman, at right, in support of the programme. They are, from left, service technician Bruce Wiseman, technician Rich Tucker, owner and technician Richard Jervis, and office manager Gaileen Geary. Absent from the shot was foreman Matthew Voss.
Two dates in October are likely to be of special interest to Cambridge’s senior residents and those who support them.
Monday October 1 will see the Cambridge Global Walk take place, marking the International Day for Senior Citizens. As in recent years, the local event will take place at the Cambridge Raceway in Taylor St. There will be several sulky races take place around the track, music from the band ‘Passion’ and the Global Walk itself.
On Wednesday October 3 another Gold Card Seminar will be held in the Cambridge Town Hall, starting at 10.30am. The event is intended to introduce new Gold Card holders to – and update existing card-holders on – the many benefits the programme offers in terms of discounts and concessions.
Organising both events once again is Cambridge’s Florence Shearman, whose voluntary work in the region is focused mainly on the aged.
Previous Gold Card seminars held in Cambridge have drawn hundreds of people from around the wider Waikato/Bay of Plenty region, and with the growing number of people aged 65 and over settling here, attendance is expected to be high.
A keynote speaker at the seminar will be the Ministry of Social Development’s Tim Bryers, the Wellington-based key account manager for the SuperGold Card. He will outline the advantages the card offers to holders and will answer audience questions.
“The presentation is about ensuring that seniors in the Waikato are getting the most value from their SuperGold Cards and are aware of what discounts and offers are available,” Tim said. “The SuperGold Card was introduced in 2007. The number of businesses joining the programme continues to grow, with around 700 new businesses across the country joining over the last year.”
He said most of the new businesses coming on board were from outside the main metropolitan areas. “This continues to be a focus … we aim to provide greater value for cardholders who may not have the same access to the free off-peak public transport concessions.
“There are now over 9250 businesses offering SuperGold discounts, represented by more than 14,000 outlets nationwide. In the Waikato, there are more than 1250 business outlets offering SuperGold Card discounts.”
Florence said seniors-related groups would also be in attendance, including Cambridge Grey Power, and handouts will be available listing regional businesses offering SuperGold Card discounts.
“The number of businesses offering discounts in Cambridge keeps growing,” she said. “There is a lot of support for it locally … people will find the seminar very informative.”
