NSW Shirley Club has quarterly meetings in the City hub. Members from all over the State come to these meetings whenever they are able. Members keep in contact in the meantime by having monthly or bi-monthly group luncheons in their own areas. All groups have been given identifying group names for their area and have designated group leaders.
The Sydney suburb group luncheons are set by the group leader, in most cases the venue is changed for each luncheon and advertised in the NSW Shirley Club Newsletter.
We have the Northern Districts Group which has members attending from all suburbs north of the harbour and includes the Ryde area – they meet monthly at different locations every month. (contact: shirley.brushaber@hotmail.com)
The South Sydney suburbs are identified as St George/Sutherland Group and has members from the Shire attending bi-monthly luncheons at a different venue each occasion. (contact: shirlhamill@hotmail.com)
For the Western Suburbs the group is named Western Sydney Group and members meet monthly for luncheon at a different venue each meeting. (contact: shirleyeditor37@gmail.com)
South Western Suburbs where members took the name Macarthur Group have luncheons every month at the same fixed venue for every meeting. (contact: shirley.reedy@icloud.com)
Outside the city we have our Illawarra Group who meet every month, choosing a different venue for each luncheon, this group has members from all parts of the Illawarra region. (contact: shirley.clark1@bigpond.com)
Lithgow Group in the mountains was one of the very early outer Sydney groups to activate and has continued to meet for a monthly luncheon at a different venue from the very beginning. (contact: shirleyeditor37@gmail.com)
Out into the Riverina area we have the West Wyalong group, this group incorporates the whole of the Riverina and like Lithgow became a Shirley group very early – in actual fact, a small group of women with the name Shirley were meeting for lunch in the area before the NSW Shirley Club was commenced. Because of the distances between the members this group meets twice a year at a different location for each luncheon meeting. (contact: shirleyahart@hotmail.com)
Going north we start with the Hunter Valley Group covering Newcastle environs this group has luncheon meetings every second month at a different location each time. (contact: shirleyappleyard@gmail.com)
We then have the Lake Macquarie Group which includes all of the various villages around the lake, this group meets every month for lunch at a different location each time also. (contact: shirleypollitt@bigpond.com)
If we proceed further north from the Hunter valley we come to the Northern Rivers Group which covers Ballina. The Northern Rivers Group incorporated when they were established and although in NSW and acknowledged to be under the umbrella of the NSW Shirley Club, they are autonomous in all of their activities. (contact: fancypants2@bigpond.com)
We recently had Coffs Harbour Group start a very successful satellite of the Northern Rivers incorporated club. (contact: fancypants2@bigpond.com)
We have a very small group of Shirleys down in the Sapphire Coast, unfortunately their numbers have dropped due to health and age, the remaining members are part of the NSW Shirley Club and meet once a month for lunch at a different location each occasion. We had a strong Central Coast group at one time but due to health and age only a very small group remains and these Shirleys tend to mix with Hunter Valley and Lake Macquarie these days.