Eumundi Voice Issue 112, 6 March 2025

SENIORS

Age is only a number

Noosa Folk Dancers celebrated the 94th birthday of member Meredyth Howard on 8 February. Meredyth celebrated as she does every year – by doing the splits for the class!

With a ballet teacher as a mother, Meredyth said that she was born into dancing. “I’ve been dancing forever – I just enjoy moving to music. I’ve always played sport, and I still go to yoga and creative dance. I swim laps most mornings. It’s just part of who I am.”

For the past 29 years she has been dancing every Friday with the Noosa Folk Dancers in Tewantin, where she sometimes used to teach as well.

Meredyth was born as “an aftershock” of the Napier earthquake in NZ which happened in February 1931. “My mother was evacuated because none of the hospitals stood up and the town was ruined,” she said. She came to live in

Noosa when her son and daughter both moved overseas to live.

Throughout her career Meredyth has worked in a wide range of fields including as a gameshow choreographer, yoga teacher and yoghurt saleswoman. She says the secret to keeping fit in her senior years has been to just keep moving. “Keep doing the activities you like to do. Get out and exercise your body. Exercising makes you happy. Keep enjoying life.”

Philippa Johnson

Confused about Aged Care?

An aged care advocate will be at the Noosaville Library on 20 March from 10.30am-12pm to answer any questions about aged care.

Aged care advocacy is a free service funded by the Australian Government. Frequently asked questions include identifying options other than residential care, cost and affordability, when you should look at receiving aged care support, what support is available, and wait times. The service is free, but registrations are essential: libraryevents.noosa.qld.gov.au.