Alessandra Testa is a Whittlesea Probus Club member. She spoke to Helena Abdou about her time at the Mernda club.
When did you first get involved with the Whittlesea Probus?
It was after my partner, who I was with for 27 years, passed away five years ago, and I needed something to help me cope. I had a few friends that were part of the Probus and that’s when I joined in too.
What’s the best thing about Probus?
You’re making new friends, you have new interests and new ways of looking at life. It gives you some fun things to do and I have a few fun trips coming up too, helps keep you active and keep you ticking over.
Would you recommend other retirees joining Probus?
The motto of the Probus is friendship, fellowship and fun and they certainly do try to keep up with that. As I said, you make new friends, even though in Whittlesea it seems as though everyone already knows each other. You have new activities to do to keep you going, not only does it keep your body healthy but your mind too.
What advice would you give to other people about life in general?
You’ve got to be happy with what you do and you’ve got to be happy with yourself.
If you could change one thing about Whittlesea, what would it be and why?
I don’t know that I would change anything, it’s a quaint little town, that’s what I like most about it.
What do you like most about living in Whittlesea?
Well the peace and quiet for one. Also the friendships, people are always willing to help, it’s not like in the bigger suburbs in Melbourne where everybody just goes about their business. There’s community spirit in Whittlesea.
Where is your favourite place to visit in the municipality?
Well I’m more of an outdoor person so I like being in nature at Toorourrong Reservoir in Whittlesea. And if I’m going out on the town, I enjoy grabbing a quick lunch at the Whittlesea Bakehouse and then doing my grocery shopping at friends of mine, Delightful Frootz. When I go there we always have a good chat and laugh so I enjoy that.
What’s your favourite book or genre to read?
I enjoy reading a good novel, it doesn’t have to be a love story or anything like that. But a good story about people’s experiences. My favourite author was Maeve Binchy, but she’s passed on and I’ve got most of her books. I’ve tried to build a little collection of those.
What music do you listen to?
I suppose I like anything vintage, the 60s, 70s and even the 80s and 90s. In my younger days, my favourite singer was Elvis Presley of course. I loved the Bee Gees, I even quite liked Michael Jackson and Madonna.
