BLOKE'S LOUNGE
  • Bloke's Lounge
    • Why a Bloke's Lounge?
    • Vision & values
    • What the Lounge means to me >
      • IT'S A FUN AND FRIENDLY PLACE - Mick Gannaway
      • Ageing gracefully - Ian Begaud
    • Who's who
    • Foundation members
    • GALLERY >
      • 2019
      • 2018 >
        • Rollo's 80th Birthday
      • 2017
      • 2016
      • 2014-15 >
        • XMAS IN JULY
      • 2013-14
      • 2012-13
    • QUOTABLE QUOTES >
      • QUOTES 2018
      • QUOTES 2017
      • Quotes 2016
      • Quotes 2015
  • CALENDARS & VENUES
    • Interests and skills >
      • Activities
  • News/other stuff
    • You and Your Prostate
    • Early detection saves lives
    • 2018 Commonwealth Games
    • Brrm Brrm - Bloke's cars
    • Marathon Man 2
    • SIX BEST DOCTORS
    • Beer blokes
    • Poetry >
      • THE TOUGHS
      • THE PUFFS
      • GOF Golf
      • TORTOISE TABLE
      • TEAM TORTOISE
      • Meanderthals
      • Darts for Old Farts
      • TORTOISES
      • Dehli belly
      • Security Guard
    • On ya bike, Mal!
    • Rollo Meyers Park
    • Marathon Man
    • Vitamin F
    • Mental wellbeing
    • Avoiding midlife crisis
    • Signs of a stroke
    • DARTS >
      • BULLSEYE CLUB
    • FISHING NEWS >
      • Piscatorial ponderings
    • Volunteering
    • Older news >
      • Vale: Ron Heslop
      • Fishing fees - open letter to MPs
      • Men's Health Week June 15-21
      • Helping the homeless
      • Brewery tour a bottler
      • Probing for members
      • Forging a future
      • GC Snrs Regional Roundtable
      • Bali bombing survivor an inspiration
      • Mental health & older fellas
      • Laughs & Chuckles
      • GC SportinG Hall of Fame
      • Superannuation update
      • Bowel cancer info session
      • Poetry in Paradise
      • Centrelink support for seniors
      • eBooks and library services
      • Aged care session
  • USEFUL STUFF
  • Contact Us
  • Help & advice

LOUNGE MOVERS & SHAKERS

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President - John Chirio

John - also known as JC - and his wife Carmel have been living at Broadbeach since November 2016 having sold the long-time family home in Wellington Point.  John's career was as an electrical and control systems engineer, mostly designing and commissioning new materials handling plants and infrastructure for major mining companies.  Over the years he has lived at Mount Isa, Bowen, Port Headland, Perth, Tabubil (Western Highland of New Guinea), and worked at several mine sites in Queensland and NSW. He retired in early 2014 and while Carmel worked on teaching primary school he busied myself fixing up the house and completing his term as President of the Rotary Club of Wellington Point.

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Secretary - Gary Ballinger

Gary’s background is in civil and structural engineering and project management which has taken him from working at a geothermal power station in his birth country of New Zealand to a multitude of places across SE Asia and the Middle East. He’s a keen snow skier and marathon runner (30 including Paris, Boston, New York, Ankor Wat, Singapore, Bandung, Qatar and Beirut). More sedate interests are movies, golf, cycling and reading.


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Treasurer - Barry Woodberry

Bazza joined the Army as an apprentice motor mechanic at age 16 worked his way up to officer ranks (Major), later becoming a public service technical officer before switching to managing Canungra Military Base’s resources. He finds time for g
olf, fishing, squash, tennis, darts, bush walking, bike riding, reading, socialising, mechanical repairs as well as repairs and improvements to his Benowa home. He's also a Meanderthal who loves caravaning and camping!

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Committee member -  John Twentyman

John, aka Haveachat, quickly got into our activities and has embraced cycling with Team Tortoise and golf Music. He was in a rock band in the 60s (but he can remember that so maybe he wasn’t!) and also enjoys
motor sports, traveling and enjoying life. As a youngster he was employed by Dalgety’s as a wool classer, a brief stint in retail then joining the family business. John, a widower, retired in 2012 and in 2015 decided on a sea change to Surfers Paradise.

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Committee member - Steven Lane

Formerly Isle of Wight - now 50 years in Australia - Steven's backgrounds was a pastry chef, duty free industry mainly at airports, consultant, part-owned a few race horses. Battled – and beaten – prostate cancer! Steven - who lives at Broadbeach Waters with wife Lynne and three children - coordinates our Fishing Fools and Darts for Old Farts groups.


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Committee member - Mick Gannaway

Mick, a Founding Member, coordinates our golfers and Snails cyclists and is also active in many other activities. Mick's background  is in printing, real estate, motor sports safety and maintenance mechanic. He loves all types of sport, spectating at golf.

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Committee member - ​Tony Flew

Tony's working life - he still dabbles - was as a payroll manager, implementation consultant and company director. He was in Rotaract and Apex when younger. He and his wife Juanita live at Robina.



SUPPORT TEAMS (from left) Visitor Hosts Rollo Myers, Paul Santon and Derek Campbell; Technology roadies Vince Paino and John Buer

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Founder & Life Member - Ian McDougall

Ian has strong background as a newspaper journalist and editor in Queensland and NSW as well as 19 years a
s a media and communications officer in Queensland Government departments.
 
Ian helped establish The Gold Coast Street Library for homeless and disenfranchised people. He was temporarily secretary of the foundation committee set up to establish the Gold Coast's first men's shed. Ian was a member of the Elder Abuse Task Force/Committee on Ageing, and later on the Gold Coast Seniors Regional Roundtable, helping develop the Gold Coast Seniors Action Plan, and was a victim representative for the Youth Justice Conferencing program.

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Ian started the process to his bring his vision for the Bloke’s Lounge to reality in early 2012. He has been honoured with Life Membership of the Lounge and was selected as a Queen's Baton Relay carrier for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Previously Ian was involved in Apex, Neighbourhood Watch, Community Youth Support Scheme, Police-Community Liaison Committee, Shire Council Tourism sub-committee and the Australian Inland Fishing Championships. As a "ship's drover", Ian accompanied breeding cattle shipments to Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. ​

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 Life Member - Ian Begaud

Ian Begaud took on the President's role in 2013. Under his reign and with supportive committees, the Lounge has prospered, growing to 85 members before he stepped down. He encouraged varied and interesting guest speakers to address us.

Ian's background was in business, a breeder of Pure Arabian horses, financial planning and real estate (investment properties). He is also a trained remedial therapist and was a professional musician. Ian is well travelled and enjoys reading, gardening and video camera filming and editing. AGEING GRACEFULLY

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Foundation secretary - Vince Paino

I  put on record my appreciation to the loyalty, dedication and effort by Vince Paino in helping establishing the beaut Lounge of 87 or so men we have today. 

We did now know each other before the first public meeting which attracted six people. But Vince fronted up again for the next public meeting – just three people: him, me and Rob Murrells – and the next, again same three people. At our foundation meeting a month or so later – about seven people – Vince had no hesitation in putting his hand up to become secretary, a role he held for some years.

​We got through the first challenging year or so at Broadbeach library, getting the Lounge to a stage where we had enough members to explore meeting formats, suggest activities and direction, seek a different venue – that’s when we started to grow.

Vince has represented the Lounge at various promotional events and activities. He’s also plunged into extra duties: he coordinates walking and barbecues and is our chief roadie, embracing the technology side, exploring bits and bobs to help make our meetings more enjoyable and expanding the scope of what we can do ... mainly because he likes his toys!

- Ian McDougall, Founder

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  • Bloke's Lounge
    • Why a Bloke's Lounge?
    • Vision & values
    • What the Lounge means to me >
      • IT'S A FUN AND FRIENDLY PLACE - Mick Gannaway
      • Ageing gracefully - Ian Begaud
    • Who's who
    • Foundation members
    • GALLERY >
      • 2019
      • 2018 >
        • Rollo's 80th Birthday
      • 2017
      • 2016
      • 2014-15 >
        • XMAS IN JULY
      • 2013-14
      • 2012-13
    • QUOTABLE QUOTES >
      • QUOTES 2018
      • QUOTES 2017
      • Quotes 2016
      • Quotes 2015
  • CALENDARS & VENUES
    • Interests and skills >
      • Activities
  • News/other stuff
    • You and Your Prostate
    • Early detection saves lives
    • 2018 Commonwealth Games
    • Brrm Brrm - Bloke's cars
    • Marathon Man 2
    • SIX BEST DOCTORS
    • Beer blokes
    • Poetry >
      • THE TOUGHS
      • THE PUFFS
      • GOF Golf
      • TORTOISE TABLE
      • TEAM TORTOISE
      • Meanderthals
      • Darts for Old Farts
      • TORTOISES
      • Dehli belly
      • Security Guard
    • On ya bike, Mal!
    • Rollo Meyers Park
    • Marathon Man
    • Vitamin F
    • Mental wellbeing
    • Avoiding midlife crisis
    • Signs of a stroke
    • DARTS >
      • BULLSEYE CLUB
    • FISHING NEWS >
      • Piscatorial ponderings
    • Volunteering
    • Older news >
      • Vale: Ron Heslop
      • Fishing fees - open letter to MPs
      • Men's Health Week June 15-21
      • Helping the homeless
      • Brewery tour a bottler
      • Probing for members
      • Forging a future
      • GC Snrs Regional Roundtable
      • Bali bombing survivor an inspiration
      • Mental health & older fellas
      • Laughs & Chuckles
      • GC SportinG Hall of Fame
      • Superannuation update
      • Bowel cancer info session
      • Poetry in Paradise
      • Centrelink support for seniors
      • eBooks and library services
      • Aged care session
  • USEFUL STUFF
  • Contact Us
  • Help & advice