Reading may be considered an individual activity but not for the Bull Swampers Book Club.
Love of books, travel and socialising bond this book club currently celebrating its 20th year.
Founding member Julie Keeble said the club currently has 12 members but “we’ve had so many different people over the years”.
Julie is one of the founding members along with husband Milton Keeble, currently the only male member, and Angela Stewart.
Other current members include Marian Kee, Jill Flack, Fiona Jackson, Sharon Saultry, Anita Coonan, Mary Howlett, Carmel Oldham, Anita Cory and Steph Wellard.
“We all get on very well, they are all lovely people,” said Julie. “It’s so sociable. It is the job of the hostess to ensure that we don’t all just talk about our latest travel experience.”
The book club has seen many changes over 20 years – with COVID-19 presenting one of the group’s biggest challenges.
Not able to meet for monthly gatherings at homes, the club had its inaugural Zoom meeting in April. It went well and offered a fun change.
The Bull Swampers started when a small group of friends in the Bull Swamp Rd area started swapping books. Bonded by their love of reading, the book club was formed.
Angela said they initially relied on CCE to supply boxes of books. However, it quickly became difficult to source good books.
They eventually started buying or borrowing from the library to allow their own selections.
“We try to read stuff people are talking about,” said Julie.