17 Inspire! is the Gold Coast’s first dementia-friendly choir, welcoming people living with dementia, their care partners and community to enjoy singing together. Inspire! choir’s 100 + registered members are people impacted directly or indirectly by dementia, singing with a diverse group of community volunteers. Together they are breaking barriers, raising awareness of dementia and helping create a more inclusive Gold Coast. And they have fun! Rehearsals at held Varsity Lakes Community Resource Centre. On the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month, 50 to 70 people join choir leader Anne Ryan and live musicians, singing songs from popular musicals to Beatles and ABBA classics. Everyone in the choir loves to sing. Catherine, Rose, Tina and Jo come with their daughters. Ian, Cherry, Peter, Robert, Ray and others with carer-spouses. Sandra with her brother. Friends or support workers bring Lyn, Graham, Vera, Anthony. There are beginners and advanced singers, singing solo or ensemble, playing percussion, often spontaneously dancing. Inspire! Choir Community Why create a ‘dementia-friendly’ choir? Music can evoke memories, enhance mood and alleviate anxiety. For people living with dementia and their families, singing together lifts spirits and gets people moving and mingling. Absence of judgment reduces the stigma and isolation experienced by those living with this confronting illness. Joy, connection and friendship work as antidotes to depression, confusion and loneliness. Now in its second year, the choir is a place to share experiences and offer support and advocacy through challenging transitions. Dementia on the Gold Coast ‘Dementia’ describes the symptoms of a large group of illnesses causing a progressive decline in functioning, such as loss of memory, rationality, social skills and physical functioning. It is the second leading cause of death in Australia. While more common after the age of 65, younger onset dementia can occur decades earlier. Currently 11,063 Gold Coast residents are living with a diagnosis of dementia. Over 7,000 remain at home, including 2,400 living alone. Ref. Dementia Australia https://www.dementia.com.au/ To learn more or join Inspire! E: inspirechoirdf@gmail.com; M: Jan Gillies 0417 704 651. To join, register online with this link: http://tinyurl.com/msxsw2wn REHEARSAL DATES - THURSDAY 1.30-3PM Aug 7 & 21 • Sept 4 & 18 • Oct 2 & 16 • Nov 6 & 20 • Dec 4 All welcome. Cost $5 donation for afternoon tea Varsity Lakes Community Resource Centre, 20 Mattocks Rd, Varsity Lakes For information inspirechoirdf@gmail.com People living with dementia, their care partners & community singing together on the Gold Coast Winners book prize will be couriered so please provide a phone number. You may put phone number inside envelope if you are worried about scams... thankyou! A Slowly Dying Cause by Elizabeth George In Cornwall, a man suffers a violent death – and the killer may lurk within the community . . . Featuring Detectives Barbara Havers and Thomas Lynley, A Slowly Dying Cause is an atmospheric, gripping crime thriller from bestselling author Elizabeth George. Amid the beauty of Cornwall’s coastline, the death of a local man shatters the peace with its violence. The body of Michael Lobb was discovered in his family’s tin and pewter workshop, and Detective Inspector Beatrice Hannaford is brought in to investigate. Suspicion quickly develops when it emerges that a mining company had been trying to buy the man’s land, and Lobb was the only remaining obstacle to the deal going through. But every step of Bea’s investigation provokes more questions than answers, and the complexity of the case develops further as Lobb’s family life, rife with mistrust and deception, comes to light. With cryptic alibis and shifting motives, the tangled web of intrigue soon draws in her colleagues Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers, who must search for a killer in a community that has very little trust in outsiders . . . Author Information Elizabeth George is the no. 1 New York Times, Times and Der Spiegel bestselling author of more than twenty British crime novels featuring Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley. Her novels have been translated into thirty languages and featured on television by the BBC. She has twice been nominated for the Edgar Award and is the recipient of the Anthony Award, the Agatha Award, France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and Germany’s MIMI. ISBN: 9781035081950 | Format: Trade Paperback | Pub Date: 16/09/2025 Category: Crime & Mystery, Thriller / Suspense, FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Police Procedural, FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Traditional, FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths, FICTION / Crime | Imprint: Macmillan | Price: $34.99 | Pages: 656 TO ENTER write your name, address & phone on the back of an envelope and post to: A SLOWLY DYING CAUSE Enter To Win PO Box 3302, Burleigh Town 4220 | Entries close 31.08.2025 BOOK GIVEAWAY
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