CMCA Bird Chapters
CMCA SOLOS NETWORK
A Support network for Solo travellers
There are over 100 CMCA chapters, and to help identify those that are predominantly (but not exclusively) for members who travel alone, the use of bird names has been adopted as a standard. There are currently ten ‘bird’ chapters:
Blue Wrens
President Josie Privett 0428 480 235 josieprivett@hotmail.com
Secretary John Blyth 0408 201 190 blymarkdesign@bigpond.com
Eagles
President Lorraine Ellis 0429 458 409 ellisfamily64@gmail.com
Northern Rivers Robins
Secretary Marilyn Bromley 0417 317 217
cmca.robins@gmail.com
QUEENSLAND: (4)
SE Qld Kookaburras
President Carel de Boer
0412 783 389
Secretary
Patricia Austin 0408 701 688
kookassecretary2019@gmail.com
Rainbow Lorikeets
President Kevin
Haynes
0409 398 881
kjhaynes15@gmail.com
Sue Edwards 0407 173 406 nannysue16@gmail.com
Kingfishers
President
Elaine Bowles
0408 724 624
elaine.bowles37@gmail.com
Secretary
Rosemary Robinson
0416 180 546
rosemaryhr@hotmail.com
President Gordon Simons 0418 876 734 gord240@gmail.com
Secretary Fay Byrnes 0419 778 122 fay.byrnes@gmail.com
TASMANIA: (1)
Tassie Shearwaters
President Geoff Reid 0409 946 238 viewbanks1052@gmail.com
Secretary Joan Banks-Smith 0488220556 tassieshearwaters@gmail.com
VICTORIA (1)
Eastern Rosellas
President Helen Sceney 0424 065 783 helensceney@hotmail.com
Secretary David Kerrisk 0447 328 999 dkerrisk@bigpond.net.au
WESTERN AUSTRALIA (1)
Western Willie Wagtails
President Margaret Jordan 0488521176 westernwilliewagtails@gmail.com
Secretary Margaret Jordan 0488521176 westernwilliewagtails@gmail.com
including Solos Network events, whether they are members of that Chapter or not.
The Eagles were formed at Broke NSW in February 2006. From a small membership of around 25 the Eagles have gone from strength to strength over the last 13 years to an active membership of 173 and growing. The second largest Chapter in the CMCA Network, we average around 30 members plus at each meeting.
From as far north to Port Macquarie, out west to Scone and south to the Central Coast our members love to travel to our monthly outings which are located in the Hunter Region, one of the most pristine camping areas in NSW. Visitors are welcome to attend. Our Road Trips are legendary and anyone who is interested in joining this environmentally focussed group can contact us.
The Northern Rivers Robins are the newest “bird” Chapter, notified of the CMCA Board’s approval on 03 December 2018. Our inaugural meeting was held on 9 February 2019 at Coraki, NSW with 44 Foundation members and lots of friends and visitors.
Based
between Tweed and Grafton in north eastern NSW, the new chapter has monthly
gatherings and other less formal events such as lunches and tag-a-longs. Many
will also travel to the Solos Network rallies twice a year.
Come along to our gatherings, meet more people
in the area, share ideas and experiences and have fun.
The welcoming bush and country towns offer a great stay and are always of interest when we visit.
Walking, card Playing and the occasional disc bowls are all part of the fun and of course Happy Hour!
The Rainbow Lorikeets are a very active group who meet once per month from Monday to Friday in south-east Queensland, usually north of Brisbane. While basically Solos we enjoy the company of couples who join us regularly, as well as visitors from other States.
Noelene Gibbs and
friends in motorhomes / campervans used to meet regularly in unofficial
gatherings. In September 2005, realising the benefits of CMCA, the group joined
the organization and became The Rainbow Lorikeets – the 76th
chapter. We are indebted to these enterprising members as it was the beginning
of a very successful group which has continued to expand. Averaging 45 vehicles
at each gathering there is much fun to be had with cards, board games and disc
bowls as regular events. Our gentlemen provide us with a sausage sizzle at each
meeting and usually we go to a club or pub for a meal on another night. Music,
dancing, ukuleles are also an integral part of chapter activities.
Our venues are often
Showgrounds in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast, Bowls/Country Clubs,
School grounds and always once each year back to Lake MacDonald where it all
began. It is the members who ‘make a chapter’ and we are blessed with an
amazing group from different backgrounds who are able to interact, support each
other and most importantly ‘LAUGH MORE, LIVE LONGER’.
While the majority of Kingfishers are based in Bundaberg and Hervey Bay, we are the northern-most Solos Chapter, covering the area of Queensland north of Gympie. We are a relatively small chapter of around 46 members, now seven years old. As many members are on the road constantly, it is difficult to get everyone together in one place, but look out when we do!
Apart from monthly Chapter outings, we also meet on the first Wednesday of each month for morning tea/lunch, and find any excuse to get together for social occasions, usually around members birthdays.
Any Solos travelling through the area are most welcome to come to any of our gatherings.
The Tassie Shearwaters, as some of the mainland Solos know, are all about having fun and enjoying life as I’m sure all Solos do. Our members come from all over this lovely state and meet once a month. We turned 10 in January 2019 and our birthday bash was held at Tunbridge where the original meeting was held. We have certainly grown over those ten years. In 2009 we started with 10 members and now have 41 of which approximately 30 regularly attend camps.
One of the good things about being a member of the Shearwaters is that some of the newer members have said to me that we helped them get their strength back to be able to once again hit the road in their motorhomes after the loss of their partner. They have learnt how to move on with their lives and start enjoying life again. The sad thing about that is sometimes we lose a member for a time as they hit the road on the mainland. But that’s fine - they know they are always welcome when they are ready to come back. Some of the fun camps we have held are fishing competitions and a black tie/casino night which was great fun.
The formation meeting of the 75th CMCA Chapter was held on Tuesday 13 September 2005 in Bundaberg, Queensland. From this meeting of 36 CMCA members was formed the Eastern Rosellas, a "bird chapter" for solo travellers, covering the whole state of Victoria.
We meet somewhere in the state once a month, for 3-4 days. The choice of location ranges from those with complete ablutions, power and a hall to gather in, to basic sites with toilets only. Several members travel with dogs, and they are usually catered for in our choice of venue.
Our membership is approximately 125, drawn from all over Victoria and as far away as Hay in NSW. We regularly welcome visitors from other Chapters, I think because of our outgoing, fun-loving attitude to life. Although many of us have lost a partner and some have partners who cannot travel, it is not a ‘singles’ group. We have all decided to get on with life and laugh more with friends who understand.
Our activities at Chapter meeting are many and varied; dancing, eating out, playing board games or cards, playing disc bowls, walking, sharing a pizza or birthday cake, sitting by the lake or riverbank, having a drink or a cuppa with people who do not put any pressure on you. Morning tea and Happy Hour are institutions in this club. They are great times to socialise and are often noisy with plenty of laughter.
Western Willie Wagtails meet for four days each month commencing with the second Thursday of the month, which is not necessarily the second weekend. We meet at various venues within 300km of Perth. We are sometimes in free or low-cost camping and others in caravan parks.
We try in summer months to be where there is a lake or dam and in winter, we try to have a hall for shelter and in spring to be north for the wildflowers. We are not strictly solos and do have couples as members. We permit dogs but with rules that they must be well controlled at all times and on a lead, must not attend morning tea or any collective dinner but can attend happy hour. We are fairly unstructured, try to have one activity per meet but leave members to their own devices to play board games, cards, read, knit, walk, swim etc.