2007 List of Laughter Clubs in NSW
According to now defunct
Laughter Clubs NSW Inc
As background information, the list of NSW laughter clubs reproduced below is taken from Laughter Clubs NSW Inc, an organisation that was established as a self regulating, nonprofit organisation in May 2000 by Shirley Hicks (www.shirleyhicks.com.au), a Sydney based Naturopath. The organisation’s goal was to bring laughter to the broadest section of the community. Shirley believed that laughing in the park should be a free community service and not a way to raise money, so the policy was there be no charge to attend, in line with the philosophy of the founding father of laughter clubs, Dr Madan Kataria. Laughter Clubs NSW was therefore supported by the effort of volunteers.
Shirley also provided one day workshops on laughter leading, on completion of which attendees were automatically covered under the association's public liability insurance should they choose to run a free community laughter club.
At the start of 2007 laughter leader training was suspended because, in Shirley’s words, “the resources of our Association are very limited” and that laughter leader training was now being provided locally by Dr Kataria on his occasional visits to Australia, and also by Steve Wilson’s organization in the USA.
Around August 2007 the Laughter Clubs NSW website (www.laughterclubsnsw.com) closed (its just a shell now) and Shirley advised (in a private email to an enquirer) the organization was folding although individual clubs would continue to run but independent of any official organisation. At the end of 2008 Shirley moved to Queensland. Good luck, Shirley, and thanks for your all your work in the past.
As at the time of the closing of the LCNSW website, Shirley listed the following laughter clubs for NSW. If you plan on visiting a club for the first time, best to call ahead to confirm its still on. The demise of LCNSW means that, at the moment, there is no umbrella organisation for laughter clubs in NSW.
Please email me to if you have new information with which I can update this list.
Cheers, Usuff Omar.
Locations
Venue
Time & Day
Contact Name
Contact Number
Balgowlah School for Seniors (check to see if still going, heard may not be. 4/10)
Uniting Church Hall
Tuesday 11.00am
Jim Murphy
02 9949-5773
Bondi Beach
South of the Pavillion
10.00am Sunday
Noni Gove
02 9130-2317
Bankstown Womens Health Center
Paul Keating Park
Wednesday 1.30pm
Betty Green
02 9790-1378
Bronte
Bronte Beach
TBA
Vicki Townsley
0418 882 800
Byron Bay
Main Beach Park
Saturday 11.00am
Paulette Bray-Narai
02 6684 7262
Canberra
Gorman House Braddon
Saturday 9.30am
Linda Fitzgerald
0416 021 050
Cessnock
Veterans Memorial Park
TBA
Helena Hodgson
02 4991-1388
Central Coast- Terrigal (confirmed going strong April '10, thanks, Hans.)
Terrigal at reserve on corner of Willoughby Road and Terrigal Drive, picnic table closest to lagoon on Willoughby Road
Saturday 8.30am
Hans Schwedler
0408969-639
Cronulla (still going strong! Thanks Michael.)
Shelley Beach
Saturday 8.15am
Michael Mitchell
02 9545 1028
Forest ( I visited this club in November 2009. Great fun.)
French's Forest Showground
Saturday 9.00am
Nichole
0410 401 969
Galston
Fagan Park
Sunday 9.00am
Cherie Richey-Lowe
02 9653-1916
Hobart Laughter Club (Going strong in September 2009 - Thanks Annette!)
St. David’s Park, near Rotunda (under large pine tree if raining.)
Saturdays at 10am
Annette
0410944328
Hornsby
Hornsby Park
Saturday 8.30am
Maria Keeler
02 9482-2488
Hunters Hill
Valentia Street Reserve Woolwich
Saturday 9.00am
Chris Kaye
0408082474
Katoomba
Carrington Hotel Lawn
Saturday 10.00am
Josephine Enoch
02 4782-2832
Liverpool Womens Health Centre (Women only)
26 Bathurst Street Liverpool
Thursday 10.00am
Peta or Lorena
02 9601-3555
Mulgoa
Mulgoa Park
Monday 9.30am
Elizabeth French
02 4773-8574
Murwillumbah
CWA Hall Queen Street
Wednesday 10.00am
Cathy Hulme
02 6672-6817
Newcastle
TBA
TBA
Sue Mohr
02 4915-1700
Newtown (still going strong after 7 years!)
Camperdown Memorial Park
Saturday 10.00am
Rada Millwood
02 9716-0130
North Sydney (I lead this one.)
North Sydney Community Centre, 220 Miller St, next to and behind Stanton Library, North Sydney
Sunday 5.00pm
Usuff Omar
0400804354
Wallacia
Downes Park
Friday 6.30am
Elizabeth French
02 4773-8574
Wentworth Falls
West Club Katoomba 21 Vale Street
Monday 10.30am
Hilary Finn
02 4757-2678
Yamba
(still going strong, thanks Jen. April 2010)
The Yamba Wellbeing Centre
Monday 8.00am
Jennifer Smith
02 6645-5717
0429431081
Source : Laughter Clubs NSW Inc