Thursday Edition

Good morning

Good morning to all of our lovely members! I (Maddie) am absolutely over the moon to be back in your inbox this morning. It has been a while, hasn’t it? But Vella is off on annual leave for the rest of this week so you will be hearing from me A LOT. Let’s just hope you don’t get too sick of me, eh? 😉 For the members here who are new here, first of all, welcome! Second of all, let me just quickly introduce myself. I’m Maddie, one of the founders of the Seniors Discount Club (SDC). My dear friend, Jonathan, and I started this wonderful community back in June 2021 and it’s been my passion and purpose ever since! I cannot put into words how much I absolutely adore this community and I cannot thank you enough for joining us here and supporting a small Aussie business.

Jon and I were chatting just the other day about what our tagline should be for the SDC because we don’t have one (shocking, I know). But we came up with ‘The daily news source for Australia’s wise and wonderful.’ What do you think of it? Love it? Hate it? It’s a little cheesy I know, but I love it! But it doesn’t matter what I think, I want to hear YOUR thoughts so please cast your votes here on the forum and give me your honest feedback. You know I love hearing from you wise and wonderful lot. 😉

Now, I’m very excited to be writing today’s newsletter because in our Thursday morning newsletter we always have a ‘fascinating fact’ and I searched high and low for this one, and by searching high and low, I mean that I heard it at pub trivia last week… Doesn’t that count as researching?! Before I jump into today’s fact, let me give you the answer to yesterday’s riddle. For those that don’t remember the riddle, it went:

You can see me in water, but I never get wet. What am I?

And the answer is, a reflection! Did you get the answer correct? I sure didn’t, so don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t. The secret to cracking these riddles is practice, well, that’s what I’ve been told anyway. I’ve been doing these riddles for two years now, so you’d think I’d have enough practice… For those of you who did get the answer correct, well done! You have a very well-deserved shout-out waiting for you at the bottom of this newsletter. Keep up the awesome work, Riddle Masters!

Now, for our Fascinating Fact that was stolen from last week’s pub trivia! Did you know that birds have developed a remarkable adaptation called ‘peeking’? It allows them to sleep in unsafe environments and involves the bird opening one eye intermittently and keeping half of the brain active to monitor their surroundings. So, essentially one eye and one half of the bird’s brain is asleep, while one eye and the other half of its brain is awake. Often, when you see a flock of birds sleeping on a tree branch, the birds on either end of the flock will actually be ‘peeking’ so they have a full 360 degree view of all the threats around them. Now isn’t that just incredible? I thought it was. And for those of you who want to know how I went at pub trivia, let’s just say I won’t be quitting my day job any time soon.

Now, what’s happening in Australia and around the world today?

• Did you know that we have our very own petrol feature on our home page for you to compare your local petrol prices? We also have some SDC petrol updates for you here, there may be some bigger and better things on their way…
• Woolworths is expanding into the medical industry with plans to offer ‘convenient’ telehealth consultations. Aussie GPs are just as puzzled as we are. Would you be willing to give this service a go?
• ‘Those poor farmers…’ An eagle-eyed shopper pointed out an inconspicuous detail on a Coles milk carton which prompted a HUGE reaction online. Can you spot the mistake?
• A fan-favourite dessert menu item from Macca’s is making a sweet comeback after a 10-year hiatus – and fans are going cocoa-nuts over the announcement. Can you guess what it is?
• A disgruntled shopper took aim at Woolworths after coming across an unexpectedly ‘frozen’ grocery staple. Here’s what the supermarket giant said in response… But do you think this is ever OK?
• ‘You can’t have fun anymore.’ Today hosts were completely baffled by Aussies who called Chris Hemsworth a ‘terrible father’ for his ‘dangerous’ birthday cake prank. Did he go too far, or was the stunt just harmless fun?
• Double-check the total cost of your items when shopping online, members! A Kmart fan was left reeling over an ‘unbelievable’ hidden charge on a pair of $12 pyjama pants. ‘It’s just ridiculous!’ Have you had a similar experience?
• Cockatoos are still cheekily opening kerbside bins and Aussie homeowners are running out of ideas to stop them from causing havoc. What do YOU do to safely deter them?
• This anti-ageing ‘miracle’ detox claims to strengthen your immune system, promote healthy ageing, and help you lose weight fast. But does it really live up to the hype? Here’s the truth you need to know about it.
• Don’t let your electric toothbrush become a breeding ground for dirt and grime! This ‘revolutionary’ tip will keep it clean and germ-free at all times. Have you tried this before?
• Have you ever wondered what the best way to park your car is? A driving expert revealed that this trick is the safest and most convenient option. Do you agree?
• Qantas and Jetstar have extended the deadline for COVID flight credits, but there’s a catch… And it has sparked outrage among affected passengers for ‘clearly unfair’ conditions. Has this impacted you?
• Need a good laugh this Thursday morning? Member @mOiOz’s joke about collars will have you in stitches. I tell you what, members, I wasn’t expecting this turn of events! Click here to read the joke.
• Finally, if you can’t be bothered to cook tonight member @Suzanne rose’s budget chicken soup is not only super easy to make, it’s also healthy and cheap!

And that, members, is your Thursday morning news. Thankfully, the good stuff does not end here! There’s still plenty more for you to enjoy below including our ‘Yesterday’s Australia’ segment, our ‘Picture of the day’ thanks to member @mark godwin, and our on this day facts! They are (almost) as interesting as our fascinating fact today…

Before I let you get to it, I'd also like to give a heads-up! I know health insurance isn't the most interesting topic, but the majority of health insuerers will be increasing their premiums by an average of 2.90% in about a week's time*. This means that a lot of you could be paying on average anywhere between $167 and $194 extra per year on your health insurance*. We know this isn't money you have 'lying around'. So to see how much you can save before April 1, why not try comparing your health insurance?* If you don't save any money, don't change insurers! But what happens if you could save hundreds? Compare and save today*.

As always, we have our wonderful games ready for you to play, including our Alphabetical Bands/Groups Game, Alphabetical Australian Places Game, Change A Letter Game, and 3x3 Word Thread. We still have our beloved classic games, including Word Pairs, Abbreviation Game, Word Association Game, Rearrange, Add or Subtract Word Game! Keep a Word, Drop a Word Game, and Can you name 5? As well as our Sudoku puzzles, OzGrid, classic OzWord, and Ozword (expert edition). And our card games, including Solitaire and Blackjack.

Lastly, don't forget to enter our referral competition! All you have to do is refer your friends to the SDC (with their permission, of course) for one entry into the competition. The more entries you get into the competition, the more chances you have to win a $100 voucher to Coles, Woolworths, ALDI or IGA! To refer a friend to us, all you have to do is email us their name and email address here! You can also email us at contact@seniorsdiscountclub.com.au. Note: If you email us their name and email address without their permission, your entry to the competition will be removed.

As always, members, stay safe and happy reading!

- Jonathan, Vella, Sean, James, Sethia, April, Jarred, Ally & Maddie.