{"id":57718,"date":"2014-02-20T00:40:29","date_gmt":"2014-02-19T14:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=57718"},"modified":"2020-12-07T10:38:57","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T00:38:57","slug":"local-singles-mingle-on-facebook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/02\/20\/local-singles-mingle-on-facebook\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Singles Mingle On Facebook"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Candace<\/a>
Candace Harper has created a local singles group on Facebook after getting fed up with online dating sites … now she’s organising real-world get-togethers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/a>February 19, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Bronwyn Marquardt *<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kingaroy is facing a singles drought, according to a woman who has turned to social media in a bid to help lonely hearts unite.<\/p>\n

Retail assistant, aged care student, and single mum Candace Harper started the Kingaroy And Surrounding Areas Singles group on Facebook after becoming frustrated with the lack of available men in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there are good-looking men in the area, there is nowhere to go to find them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

However, single men who have joined the group say dating is just as difficult for them as it is for the fairer sex.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnless you are into going to clubs and pubs, there is no avenue to meet people who are ready for a steady relationship,\u201d says volunteer fireman, Aaron Clampit, 32.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe types of people you meet in the pubs are often not looking for a relationship. It\u2019s hard in Kingaroy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candace, 29, admits that having five children between the ages of 12 and 18 months old doesn\u2019t make finding a partner any easier.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as you say you\u2019ve got kids, they\u2019re not interested,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not as if I\u2019m after anyone to play the Dad role. They just have to accept that I come as a package.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sole parenting makes it difficult to hit the club scene too, and after a disappointing flirtation with dating sites, Candace decided a local site where singles could get to know each other slowly, was the answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many people on dating sites say they are single, they are looking for a steady relationship, and they are interested in family life,\u201d she says. \u201cTen minutes later, they are just interested in talking about sex. And you find out they are married.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s definitely a singles drought. All the good ones are taken, and where do you go to meet the ones who are available? Dating sites are too expensive, and most people are from Toowoomba or Brisbane. Most people in the group want a chance to meet someone who actually lives in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Aaron<\/a>
Aaron Clampit and Candace Harper are both looking for long-term relationships … they say pubs and clubs usually aren’t the answer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Aaron agrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too easy to be fake on dating sites. Both men and women do it. With something like this (the Facebook group), you know people are real and can see who is out there and find out what they are like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Student, Alison Renyard, 24, and Dee Unverzagt, 31, a childcare assistant, believe social media is ideal
\nfor busy single parents who are studying or working to get ahead.<\/p>\n

Alison is mum to a three-year-old, while Dee has three children.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m not at work, I\u2019m at home looking after the kids and getting ready for the next day,\u201d Dee explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn weekends, I\u2019m cleaning the house and doing the washing \u2013 I don\u2019t have time to go out to meet people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Candace created the group on a whim after spending a frustrating weekend feeling \u2018fed up\u2019 about being single.<\/p>\n

There are currently 42 members and more are interested in joining. All ages are welcome, and the group held the first of what is hoped to be regular \u2018getting to know you\u2019 evenings at the Kingaroy Hotel on Friday Night.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as I know, no dates were made, but lots of friendships were, and that\u2019s all part of it,\u201d says Candace. \u201cWe\u2019re all here to support each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Kingaroy And Surrounding Areas Singles Group is on Facebook<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Alison<\/a>
Alison Renyard and Dee Unverzagt are hoping the new group will put an end to the region’s “man drought” … both are busy studying, working and raising their families<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
* Bronwyn Marquardt blogs at Maid In Australia <\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n