The meetings of the Bulwer Golden Age Club would not be the same without the involvement of Keith and Margaret Vintinner. While many local groups struggle to recruit members and volunteers, the Bulwer group has seen its numbers double during the past few years. Today, the Vintinner couple makes a difference in the life of some 90 seniors in the English-speaking community of the region.
Keith Vintinner described his role as president of the Bulwer Golden Age Club as taking care of seniors by adapting to their needs. Thus it is that every two weeks the club meets at the Bulwer Community Centre on Jordan Hill Road in Cookshire-Eaton. The afternoon begins with several card games (crib, whist) or a session of carpet bowling. Then a meal is served, prepared by Peggy and Leigh Grapes.
She who captains the club continues, laughing: «I take care of my little old ladies,» said Margaret Vintinner, née Dupuis. Between the meetings, she collects the reservations of members and takes care of the seating plans for the Tuesday events. During the most recent meal, Mrs. Vintinner welcomed 74 participants, divided among eight tables of 12 places each.
Together, the Vintinner couple brightens up what is sometimes the daily monotony of their peers. When a member cannot attend the bi-monthly gathering because of a health concern, the Golden Age Club sends them a card. Such special touches make all the difference, according to Mrs. Vintinner. «It’s all these small gestures that count for very little, but for them, oh!…» The Bulwer Club also introduced the tradition of giving plaques or honorary certificates when one of its members reaches the age of 90.
After having lived and worked in Ontario for 20 years, Keith Vintinner joined the club upon his return to East Angus, in order to play cards and socialize. When he became president in 2014, 45 members aged 65 older were meeting regularly. Since then, the circle has grown to 90 persons, many of whom come from the neighbouring municipalities of Lennoxville, Bury and East Angus. Reports of each meeting are published in the pages of The Record.
If they continue on this path, the young octogenarians who are Keith and Margaret Vintinner will, in their turn, receive a certificate of honorary membership in the 90-plus league of the Bulwer Golden Age Club. For the moment, they are undertaking their 62nd year of marriage as of this spring, their ivory anniversary.
