COVID-19 has put a hold on the social atmosphere at The Hub in Rouse Street, but the popular Monday morning Tea & Talk sessions are continuing thanks to Zoom.
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Gudren Geissler is a regular at the digital get-together, after transitioning easily to Zoom from the meetings at the Hub. She said she enjoys the get-togethers after moving to Tenterfield last year and wanting to make connections in the community.
The transition wasn't a daunting task for Ms Geissler, who already participates in a country-wide online group and regularly Skypes with family and friends.
Moving to a computer-based meeting might be more of a challenge to others, convener Lexie Sherren said. Some may just not have access to the technology.
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For those with the capability, however, it's worth the effort to participate and swap recipes, check up on the contents of your gratitude jar and have a laugh.
Ms Sherren said there could be more people staying close to home who would enjoy the social stimulation, potentially opening up the gathering to new attendees.
She said there is an assumption that The Hub is solely for welfare concerns but there's a lot more than that.
"We'd love to get more community members in and get involved, and see exactly what we do."
One motivation behind the Tea & Talk was to build up a recipe book, with sections on mindfulness and good mental health strategies. That project is slowly progressing, and may incorporate a section on coping with COVID by the time it's finished.
Ms Sherren picks an ingredient for each session, depending on what's in season. This week it was cauliflower (she brought a rockin' cauliflower and bacon soup for lunch). This coming week it's potatoes, so dig out your favourite recipe.
Email Ms Sherren at tenterfieldhub@tsdc.net.au or call (02) 6736 4443 and she will email a link to the meeting. Once Zoom is installed on your computer (it's free), it's just a matter of clicking on the supplied link to get involved. The meetings go from 10.30am to around 11.30am.
The door to The Hub remains shut at this stage, although from August 17 some services will return, one at a time and with just one client at a time. This assumes that COVID-19 restrictions don't tighten in the meantime.
The physiotherapist continues to visit on Fridays, with all the necessary precautions.
In the meantime Ms Sherren has been active through the Hub's Facebook with COVID updates and news on what other services around town are doing.
