President Geoff Pitt said the club was a social place of welcome, welfare, activities, entertainment and meeting, connecting otherwise socially isolated senior citizens.

"We are part of the family for a lot of them," he said.

"Every week we have at least 50 that keep coming in and say 'I have been coming here so long I don't know what I would do without it'."

The Ballarat City Senior Citizens Club has been closed since COVID-19 hit and was repurposed as a COVID-19 testing site in July.

Members will not be able to celebrate the club's 60^th anniversary as planned due to COVID-19 restrictions, but have continued to maintain connections and offer support to each other throughout the pandemic.

Vice president and treasurer John Scannell said members had made some home visits when allowed to support others, offered transport for medical appointments and groceries to those in need and checked in with regular phone calls.

He said the 250 club members have missed the regular social interaction, many who would attend the centre every weekday in pre-COVID times.

"People have missed it. I have spoken to a number of people who are finding it difficult not being able to come in," Mr Scannell said.

"There are quite a number of single people who have lost their partners that are at a bit of a loose end who will come in on a regular basis.

"We do have other couples who are elderly and have difficulty preparing their own meals so we can at least provide a hot meal for them at lunchtime."

The centre is usually open five days a week and offers activities like line dancing, singing and indoor bowls in the morning and afternoon, lunch every day and a place for a cuppa and a chat.

Mr Pitt said he had stayed in contact with around 50 members via phone calls throughout the pandemic and was frequently asked when the club would re-open.

"It is very hard for us pensioners to be without a place to go to," he said.

"We can't wait to get back there but it looks like it is going to be after Christmas. The sooner we can get back there the better off we are.

"A lot of us are on our own, including myself."

Mr Pitt said some of his favourite memories from the club involved seeing people coming together.

"The best story is when you get a grandmother coming in, they bring their daughter or son in and they bring the grandkids in, so you have got three generations at one table," he said.

"I think that is really the best. You really appreciate the club when you see something like that."

The Ballarat City Senior Citizens Club was first opened on October 9, 1960 by then mayor Cr A.W.Nicholson.

"This club will offer happiness and a more contented way of life to many people of 60 and over, and may their days here be long and happy," he said after unveiling the plaque.

President of the National Council of Women Mrs N.E Keirath first proposed a club for the older citizens of the city and in 1956, the Baallarat and District Old Peoples Welfare Association was formed.

Fundraising began in 1958 and the majority of the building cost was raised through public donations with a state government grant contribution.

More than 60 members had joined the club by the end of its first year.

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