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In this edition

Feature: Jackie French............................................Page 4 Travel ................................................................Pages 16-19 What’s On.....................................................Page 20 Live & Let’s Save ...................................................Page 22 Community news ...................................................Page 23

Contact us Editor Gail Forrer gail.forrer@seniorsnewspaper.com.au Media Sales Manager Kristie Waite kristie.waite@seniorsnewspaper.com.au Now online Get your news online at www.seniorsnews.com.au Advertising, editorial and distribution enquiries Phone: 1300 880 265 or (07) 5435 3200 Email: advertising@seniorsnewspaper.com.au or editor@seniorsnewspaper.com.au Location: 2 Newspaper Place, Maroochydore 4558 Website: www.seniorsnews.com.au Subscriptions Only $39.90 for one year (12 editions) including GST and postage anywhere in Australia. Please call our circulations services on 1300 361 604 and quote “Central Coast Seniors”.

The Seniors Newspaper is published monthly and distributed free in northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland.

The Seniors newspaper stable includes Toowoomba, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Northern NSW, Coffs and Clarence and Central Coast publications.

Published by News Corp Australia.

Printed by News Corp Australia, Yandina.

Opinions expressed by contributors to Seniors Newspapers are not necessarily those of the editor or the owner/publisher and publication of advertisements implies no endorsement by the owner/publisher.

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

You can never stop learning IN THIS edition, we feature the joy derived and shared by those who participate in lifelong learning.

Our cover person is Jackie French AM, truly a person who has engaged in lifelong learning.

Some of you might recall Jackie’s appearances on Burke’s Backyard, others may be fans of her many and diverse books (more than 200), while for others, Jackie could have gained your attention when she was named 2015 Senior Australian of the Year.

This great Australian author and literacy champion has overcome dyslexia and at 65 years old, promises to give us even more books and promote alternative learning programs to ensure there is no one – young or old – who is excluded from the wonderful world of books.

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK GAIL FORRER Group editor Seniors Newspapers network

Lifelong learning comes in many forms.

The Qld Council of Life Long learning described it as: “Learning activity undertaken throughout life, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competences within a personal, civic, social and/or employment- related perspective”.

But to do it, you need what some call, a “growth mindset”, an attitude that is underpinned by an understanding that learning can be fun, keep you young and indeed “growing” as opposed to being stuck in a “stagnant” mindset.

If you feel a bit stuck,

❝

I don’t divide the world into the weak and the strong, or the successes and the failures…

I divide the world into learners and non-learners.

— Benjamin Barber, sociologist then take a deep breath and know that neuroscience and psychology studies have proven our brains remain plastic and malleable well into old age, and it’s possible to create new connections among neurons and learn new things even if you’re 80 years old and beyond.

My personal experience – I’m

completing a Masters degree – has significantly broadened my perspective and reinforced to me what a wide world of learning is open to us.

My learning philosophy agrees with Albert Einstein, who wrote: “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death”.

Our local stories are full of profiles featuring experiences of lifelong learning from creative craftmaking to U3A studies and community notes pages highlighting a whole host of activities that bring people into flexible learning situations.

I trust that in all of our stories and compiled information you are able to glean something new, perhaps something helpful that can enhance your life.

‘Accidental’ blues fest embraces mums Alison Houston

NOW in its fifth year, Blues on the Mountain is branching out and embracing Mother’s Day. Organiser Ryan Howard said the aim was to raise funds for Mangrove Mountain Union Church through a special Mother’s Day picnic lunch, featuring the music of local favourites The Little Quirks.

Making it accessible to everyone, tickets are just $5 per person or $10 for a family to treat mum to a relaxing time under the gum trees in the grounds of the historic church (circa 1912).

“We are offering a real country-style morning and afternoon tea with scones, cake, tea and coffee and live music, and inviting people to bring along their picnic blanket and some lunch and make this a really special event for the mums of the Central Coast,” Ryan said.

The event, held inside the church if it rains, runs from 11am-2pm on Sunday, May 14.

To book go to www.trybooking.com/ 255364, call 0435 197 827 or just go

SOUND SENSATION: The Little Quirks playing Blues on the Mountain at a previous gig in the Mangrove Mountain Heritage Hall.

along on the day.

It could be just what Blues on the Mountain revellers need after their big event the night before, headlined by one of Australia’s hottest live rhythm and blues acts The Swamp Stompers and singer-songwriter Toby Wells.

This will be a farewell concert of sorts for The Swamp Stompers, with their lead singer Corey Legge heading to Europe on a solo tour, so Ryan predicts they will be giving it more than ever.

Held in the Mangrove Mountain Heritage Hall, for which it raises funds,

the event started almost by accident when Ryan tried unsuccessfully to find a Central Coast venue for Melbourne act Blue Eyes Cry. A landscape gardener by trade and community radio announcer by love, Ryan asked if the band might be interested in

playing at the hall instead, and Blues on the Mountain was born.

“I’d never organised a major event before, but I went at it hell-for-leather for the next six weeks and we sold out,” he said.

“They were a bit worried they’d be playing

to a few possums and a bandicoot but they couldn’t believe the turnout and everyone who’s played here says it’s got such a great vibe.”

He said word had definitely spread, with 50 bands across three states applying to play at this year’s event and high-energy blues rockers 19. Twenty are heading back for an encore gig on December 9.

“The hall has a lot of appeal,” Ryan said.

“Molly Meldrum many years ago said this hall has the best acoustics on the Central Coast.

We’ve had bands say ‘we never sound this good’!”

But there’s also funds and exposure for the hall, and a boost in trade for the area, particularly the B&Bs, thanks to people travelling from Wollongong, Sydney, Newcastle, and beyond.

With the hall capacity just 135 people, you can guarantee your spot with tickets (adults $25, 12-16s $10 and children under-12 free) at www.trybooking.com/ 245448 or call 0405 416 289.

Doors open 6pm on Saturday, May 13, with music until late.

Central Coast

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 3

Middle age now is 75 It’s time to think about a new meaning for retirement Ann Rickard

WITH medical and technology advancement, along with health and nutrition education, experts predict many of us can expect to live until 100.

This means it is time to rethink the term “middle-age”.

Dr Patricia Edgar and her husband Don Edgar have researched this new approach to ageadvancement and increased longevity in their book Peak: Re-inventing Middle-Age. Social policy experts, the Edgars claim that middle-age now refers to the peak years in a person’s life: 50-75.

“I looked at the actual meaning of old age, what it meant if certain people lived life well, others poorly and retreated from life,” Dr (Tricia) Edgar said.

“Case studies showed that while genes might account for 30% of your chances of living long, the major thing really is attitude and engagement with life, what you do with your life whether it is physical, active, friendships, and maintaining an interest in things.”

The Edgars, both 80, are championing the cause of aging well and being productive and relevant into very old age, through their books, lecture tours and radio broadcasts.

But they are realistic enough to know it is our politicians who need to come on board and look at introducing policies that will change society’s way of looking at ageing.

“I don’t think they (politicians) have given it

any thought,” Mr Edgar said.

“We are attempting to create awareness.

“If they allowed people after age 55 to work part-time they wouldn’t have any dependency problems or budget deficit problems.”

A small inroad was made when the Edgars were able to get the ear of Bill Shorten who launched their book in Melbourne recently.

They said he was receptive to their cause but they know this is only a tiny crack at the process of constantly chipping away to gain government change.

“We need a total redefinition of the structure of life expectancy,” Dr Edgar said.

“Everybody, including the young, is going to have to rethink,” Mr Edgar said.

“The whole of society is changing.”

According to the Edgars, the first step to living a relevant and productive life after middle-age (75) and well into old age was to first recognise the fact that 75 was still middle-aged and that there were a lot of productive years ahead of you.

“You have to recognise you have a life ahead and you need to plan for it,” Dr Edgar said.

“You need to think about it, be proactive about it.

“Then you need to make an effort which is the case throughout all of your life.

“People who make an effort get the most satisfaction.

“If people say ‘I can’t do these things’, or ‘it is too

THE EDGARS: A new way of thinking about ageing.

difficult’, or ‘I can’t drive a car’, or ‘I’d rather not go out at night’, then that is lack of effort.

“We have been encouraged (to slow down) by the notion of retirement.

“Retirement is not a good word. It is associated with decline.

“For some people who retire, it is often the end of them.

“People who have worked their career without thought of the future, and then stop, quickly become bored.

“People tick off a list of things they want to do when they retire but these things are not satisfying.

“Things that are satisfying are contributing, feeling you are making a difference, that you are valued by family, friends, your voluntary work or part-time work.”

Perhaps the most

simple analogy of how to live well after middle-age (75, let us not forget) according to Dr Edgar is to maintain yourself as if you were a car.

“If you let a car rot and don’t turn it on, it will pack up,” she said.

“Cars need to be turned on constantly.

“Care is important but it is only part of the picture.

“We are all aging every day; it is just the last few years of life that we experience fragility and decline.

“But if you keep up the maintenance and repairs you can go for a very long time.

“You can be full of aches and pains but if somebody tells you that what you are doing is worthwhile, there is evidence that that does heal. Evidence also shows if you are told you are old, then you will become exactly that.”

ABOUT THE EDGARS

Tricia Edgar was the first woman appointed to the Australian Broadcasting Control Board in 1975 and was the founding director of the Australian Children’s Television. Don Edgar founded the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

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4 Seniors Central Coast

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

The lines of a well-lived life Gail Forrer

BOTOX, facelift, fillers.

Get out of here!

At the end of her life.

Australian author, historian and ecologist Jackie French is aiming to look just plain old worn out.

“When I’m in my coffin, I don’t want to have any smooth, unused bits,” she says with a smile in her voice.

“I want everything to be worn out.”

The author of 200 books and winner of more than 60 literary awards is willing to go far to accomplish her last wishes.

Foremost, amongst a plethora of activities, she champions literacy.

If anyone understands the challenges of literacy, it’s Jackie French, the 2015 Senior Australian of the Year was born with dyslexia, overcame and indeed, conquered it.

The world of books has provided Jackie with an unending joy that she feels impelled to share with the rest of the world.

She wants everyone to have entry into the rich, colourful and diverse world of literature.

French could have slipped through a wall of words and ended up in the silent room of illiteracy, instead she credits a patient, insightful infant

Reading is magic says literacy leader and author Jackie French

school teacher with recognising her innate ability and having the patience to deal with a very young person who would never learn through traditional teaching methods.

According to Jackie, this teacher accepted her difference, demanded alternative learning, while at the same time recognising this student possessed the smarts in many other ways.

But Jackie is keen to dispel the myth that equates learning difficulties with genius.

“No, it does not,” she emphatically states.

“You need determination to learn to read and write. But you need determination and talent to make genius.”

Jackie is as clear on this point as she is about tackling literacy for young and old.

She calls reading magic.

In a letter to fellow dyslexics she wrote: “Reading can change your life. Reading helps you understand your world, yourself and what you and the world one day may become.”

She was the 2014–2015 Australian Children’s Laureate and is constantly promoting

literacy, including in 2015 offering 60,000 children $5 each if they couldn’t find the Magic Book that would be so fascinating they couldn’t stop reading it.

With Harper Collins, she ran a 1000 books for 1000 kids, offering books to kids who needed one.

At the same time, she is aware of the many adults who have slipped through the system.

“Reading for the grandchildren is often a way adults can learn to read,” she said.

“Grandchildren won’t fall for the excuses, like I left my glasses behind.

“They just want to get you on a couch with book with them. Because there are plenty of pictures and the kids don’t know if you get it wrong, bit by bit, they learn to read.”

And Jackie’s neighbour proved it’s never too late to learn to read.

“My neighbour taught me many things about gardening and I taught her how to read,” she said.

But the reading lesson didn’t occur until her neighbour, in her late 70s, had an accident and was confined to bed.

Jackie was a regular visitor and noted how this naturally active woman was insanely bored.

Under the circumstances, Jackie came to realise her neighbour couldn’t read and was in the perfect place to learn.

In quick time, she was reading and discovering whole new worlds.

Surprisingly, this hard-working, straightforward woman took to a rather unexpected genre – romance.

In a sense, reading gave Jackie’s neighbour a second wind.

And this is another

ABUNDANCE: Jackie French - the natural patron of all those who wish to read.

❝

When I’m in my coffin, I don’t want to have any smooth, unused bits. I want everything to be worn out. thing she is passionate about, because Jackie French does not believe in retirement.

She has seen too many people do the world trip or as she puts it – ‘the cruise up the Danube’ and then come back and wonder what to do.

On the other hand, she has seen friends take up study and find lasting value.

For instance, one of her friends has taken up a long-held wish to study astronomy and achieved huge satisfaction.

“We are all living so much longer now, there is time for a second career,” she advised.

“It used to be that at 60 you were old, at 65 you retired and then you died.

“Now we can have another 30 years to go and it is a great chance to take on the career that you couldn’t do when you were young because you were tied down with mortgages and family,” she said.

She’s keen to acknowledge that another career has to be shaped

around how you feel and your health during these years.

Jackie walks her talk.

She is still writing and releasing her awardwinning books and working. For more than 40 years she has lived at the top of the gorge in the Araluen Valley.

Her short biography reveals she has built a house and power system, planted thousands of trees and studied 400 wombats.

Some of Jackie’s books have sold millions of copies and won more than 60 awards in Australia and internationally.

Others, she writes, have been eaten by the wombats.

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IT’S often the little things that make recovering from surgery or dealing with pain difficult.

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Sitting without pain or getting support while trying to stand can make a real difference.

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6 Seniors Central Coast

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Head in the books and feet in the beach sand Alison Houston

MEI-LING Venning has made a little piece of history at 70, taking out three gold and two silver medals representing Toowoon Bay in the Australian Masters Surf Lifesaving Championships.

Until this year there was no female division for over-70s.

Instead, women had to compete against the men.

So just having a category in which to race was exciting for Mei-Ling.

To win at that level, she said, was amazing.

She picked up gold in the beach sprint, flags and surfboard, and silver in the rescue tube and 1km run.

It’s not a bad effort for someone who’s been told she shouldn’t run due to arthritis.

“My knees are not good, so it’s a fine line, but I don’t want to sit around and do nothing,” she said.

Instead, she swims every day, followed by deep water running, as well as enjoying exercise classes at Mingara Rec Club.

The former special needs teacher, who spent most of her adult life in Kingston, England, and enjoyed ice skating,

admitted coming to Australia in 2005 and becoming involved in surf lifesaving was “a big change”.

“It’s a wonderful feeling gliding on the ice, doing things you can’t do on dry land, and maybe it’s

❝

I like running around and being fit anyway, the medals are just the cherry on the cake, but getting to the end of writing a book is a much bigger investment similar in the water, you are just free to move differently,” she said.

But never one to sit around – except when she is writing a play or novel – it didn’t take long before Mei-Ling was hooked on both the fitness aspect and the camaraderie at Toowoon Bay SLSC. It’s that element of support and

CHAMPION: Mei-Ling Venning celebrates her medals at the Australian Masters Surf Lifesaving Championships on the Gold Coast.

encouragement which she also appreciates as president of Wyong Writers.

She has had two plays performed at Woy Woy Peninsula Theatre and last year published her first novel, Pelican Bay, on Amazon.

“It’s very exciting to have a corporeal thing you can hold in your hand and open and read,”

Mei-Ling said of receiving her first book in print, which she rates as even more overwhelming than winning those gold medals.

“I like running around and being fit anyway, the medals are just the cherry on the cake, but getting to the end of writing a book is a much bigger investment, a bigger chunk of my life.”

She has more novels in the wings, and said the difficulty was not finding inspiration, but choosing which stories to continue with.

“You need to care enough about the characters to spend two years of your life with them,” she said, explaining this included writing, editing, re-writing, setting aside and

re-editing.

She’s also trying to get together a group of writers to take part in a Write a Book in a Day competition – a 12-hour commitment in which a group of 10 writers is given three characters, a setting, an issue and five words to include in a children’s book.

If you are interested, go to www.wyongwriters.org.

Gina adds star power to choir’s perfect pitch Alison Houston

COASTAL a Cappella is going all out for its 25th birthday celebrations with a presentation featuring guest artist Gina Jeffreys.

Dancers from the Lee Academy will also be part of the big night at the Laycock Street Community Theatre on April 29.

Team leader Jennie Harrison said the home-grown country music star didn’t hesitate when asked to appear.

Jennie said Gina had been very impressed by one of the group’s concerts last year.

After just a short practice with Gina, the group’s music leaders were “raving”, Jennie said.

“Everyone’s so excited to be singing with her,” she said.

Gina will take lead vocals for three of the

REINVENTED: There’s nothing staid about Coastal a Cappella’s award-winning performances as it celebrates its 25th year.

group’s songs, including Natural Woman, as well as doing a solo bracket, accompanied by husband Rod McCormack on guitar.

Of course Coastal a Cappella has built quite a reputation in its own right, having won at least eight times over the past 10 years at the Sydney Eisteddfod, taken out Sydney’s Short and Sweet Voices

competition, appeared on Channel 7’s Morning Show, and sung on the steps of St Mary’s Cathedral at the Sydney Christmas Lights Spectacular.

The group’s next stop is the Sweet Adeline Championships in Perth.

“We’ve got quite a following,” Jennie said.

“Pitch Perfect really reinvented a capella singing and brought it to

the forefront, especially with younger people.”

The group’s repertoire reflects the diversity of its members and audience, with songs including Queen’s Somebody to Love, Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World and Miley Cyrus’s The Climb.

The choir comprises about 40 members aged from 33 to 74 – doctors, teachers, nurses, small

business people, mums and retirees – with their latest inductee just 15.

What they all have in common is a love of music.

“When you get it right – when the four notes come together and you make the chords ring, it’s beautiful – you get goosebumps,” Jennie said.

She has been a member for 24 years and

said the group was a blessing for people who loved being involved in choirs at school but never found an outlet beyond.

“The saying is I came for the music but I stayed for the friendship, and I think that’s very true,” Jennie said.

“We’re a very like-minded, very intergenerational group.”

And auditioning is not too confronting.

“We’re not all soloists,” Jennie laughed.

“There’s usually a six-week induction and then an audition to see if you can hold your part.

You just sing into a voice recorder as part of the chorus.”

To find out more about Coastal a Capella, go to coastalacappella.com.

Tickets for 7.30pm on Saturday, April 29, are available from the theatre on 02 4323 3233.

Central Coast

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 7

Online learning without borders wherever, whenever PLEASURABLE lifelong learning is an attractive opportunity which U3A are offering virtually.

U3A Online members have access to 60 or more courses across the areas of world affairs, history, nature, writing and creativity, lifestyle and science which can be studied when and where a person chooses.

Once a member has paid $25 they can do as many courses as they like within the 12 months from the date of subscription.

There are no exams and no certificates at the end, it’s learning for pleasure, U3A Online president Jean Walker said.

“We do it for pleasure,

for mental and physical well-being and for engaging people in lifelong learning that leads to better outcomes,” Ms Walker said.

“There are no tests, no exams, no prerequisites, no qualifications.

“There are activities included in each of the courses, but even those are not compulsory.”

For another $5 for some courses, a member can work alongside a course leader who can guide the person through the course and will receive the course activities for comment.

The volunteer, not-for-profit online organisation has been around since 1989. It

LIFELONG LEARNING: U3A Online means you can choose where and when you keep learning.

operates independently of the local U3A groups.

“Our membership hovers at about 1100 or 1200,” Ms Walker said.

The membership is international with the majority Australian and the balance from New Zealand, the UK and even Iceland.

Most of the members are geographically or socially isolated, or house-bound.

“Plus carers,” Ms Walker said.

“We have now opened it to younger people who are carers of disabled or house-bound people because we feel there isn’t very much opportunity for them to do online learning while they are in the house caring for people and it’s a spin-off of what U3A generally tries to do.”

If someone joins U3A

Online as an organisational member, they can then download the course documents and use them in their own U3A as a basis for their own courses.

The courses are often offered by people who have taught the course at their local U3A and adapted it for online learning.

“I write some of the courses as I take some

courses at my local U3A in Hobart,” Ms Walker said.

“I just did one on British poetry from Chaucer to Ted Hughes because I used to teach English literature at high school.

“The people who offer the courses are usually members of their local U3A who have been in their working life teachers or doctors or lawyers, for example,” she added.

Elder abuse: Reasons why it can occur to you THE REASONS elder abuse happens and is perpetuated are complex and confronting.

There is no starting point to explain it.

Rather, it’s a large web of often interconnected issues.

An age attitude conflict appears to be arising from the older generation being healthier, wealthier and living longer, and tapping more into government resources to support them in their aging.

But the reasons for why elder abuse doesn’t stop there.

Age Discrimination Commissioner Dr Kay Patterson said there are myriad causes and types of elder abuse.

“The majority is financial abuse and the evidence we have to date is it is more likely to be (against) women,” Dr Patterson said.

“It’s sometimes a spouse, but more often a son or daughter.

Inheritance Impatience The Australian Institute of Family

Studies in their November 2016 report titled Attitudes Towards Intergenerational Support, said the majority of its study respondents believed, “parents ought to provide financial support to their adult children and vice versa, and parents ought to let their adult children live with them”.

Added in the mix is this attitude of inheritance impatience which Senior Rights Victoria manager Jenny Blakey said is driving the younger generation to expect that what is their parents now, is theirs as well.

“As the housing crises increases, and people are living longer, you create an intersection of people who thought they might have inherited some money from their parents at 75, but their parents are now living to 85 and 90,” Dr Patterson said.

Education Dr Patterson believes there is a lack of education, in relevant courses, about older

people.

“There is a role for education and particularly education of younger people who are going, at aged 23 and 24, into professions where they are dealing with older people on a frequent basis.”

There is also the issue of a lack of understanding by people who hold Powers of Attorney about their legal and moral responsibilities.

Former ACT aged care advocate worker Jane Harriss remembers asking a client what she thought her husband’s Power of Attorney document meant.

“She said, ‘it means I’ve got control over his life’,” Ms Harriss said.

Government’s language Ms Harriss argues the government needs to take responsibility for the language they use when referring to older Australians.

“They talk about the burden of aging,” she said.

“They constantly talk

about (older Australians) being an economic burden.”

Learned behaviour In some cases, elder abuse may originate from learned behaviour.

If a child’s role-modelling comes from watching elder abuse happen as they grew up, then it is likely they will carry that behaviour into their adult years.

Consequences “(Elder abuse) is very different from partneron-partner abuse,” Dr Patterson said.

“Some people argue it’s a more complex form of family abuse

because it has different elements to it.

“One is, if you have partner-on-partner abuse and get to the point where you are not going to tolerate it any more and you get out, there is a chance if you are not persecuted or stalked, of moving away from that relationship and moving on.

“And usually the family will come around you.

“But in elder abuse, you can’t wipe out the past and say ‘well, that was a bad experience, I will start my family life over again’.”

Where the children are the abusers, the sense of guilt of doing the

wrong thing is strong.

The parents worry that they weren’t good parents.

They fear losing their relationship with their child, or destroying the family unit and becoming isolated.

Often they don’t want people to know what their son or daughter has done to them, hiding the reality instead.

“They often don’t want to take criminal action against their own children,” Ms Harriss said.

Changing the attitudes of the younger generations so that they learn respect and come to value the older generation is going to be a long, hard road for all involved.

For more on seniors’ rights and elder abuse, contact Lifeline on 131 144, or 1800 RESPECT or talk to your GP. ELDER ABUSE: The reason it occurs are multifaceted.

PHOTO: POOKPIIK

8 Seniors Central Coast

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Hard to reveal all of war’s dreadful pain Alison Houston

IT’S 50 years since Dave Pankhurst was conscripted.

It took 35 of those years before he admitted he had post-traumatic stress disorder and began dealing with the nightmares that had haunted him ever since.

This ANZAC Day, for the first time in 17 years, Dave won’t have the duties as president of the Ourimbah RSL sub-branch to see him through the day.

He’s looking forward to viewing it all from the

sidelines, as just another spectator with a camera in his hand.

“It’s a very nostalgic sort of time for me,” Dave said of ANZAC Day. “I think of all the mates I lost and … it’s numbing.

“I wasn’t in good condition when I came home. It ruined the rest of my life.”

Conscripted at 19, in April 1967, he served with the Eighth Infantry Battalion for two years as a machine-gunner in Malaya and Borneo.

At least 10 of his mates, whose tours hadn’t finished, went on

THE FOUNDING FATHERS Two men, above all others, shaped the Memorial: Charles Bean, who became Australia’s Official Historian of the First World War, and John Treloar, the Director of the Memorial between 1920 and 1952.

Charles Bean (1879–1968) was born in New South Wales but grew up and was educated largely in Britain. He returned to Australia and worked as a journalist, and in 1914 was chosen by the journalists’ association as official war correspondent. Bean went ashore during the landing on Gallipoli on April 25, 1915 and for the rest of the war followed the movements and battles of Australian soldiers. As well as conceiving and lobbying for the creation of the Australian War Memorial, he was appointed to oversee the production of the 12-volume Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 and he wrote six of the volumes, completing the last in 1942.

John Treloar (1894–1952) contributed more than any other person to the realisation of Bean’s vision.

Treloar, who came from Melbourne, also landed on Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. In 1917, as a captain, he was appointed to head the newly created Australian War Records Section (AWRS) in London, responsible for collecting records and relics for the future museum and to help the official historian in his work. After the war Treloar devoted his life to the Memorial, and influenced almost every aspect of its development. Appointed Director of the Memorial in 1920, he remained in this position for the rest of his life, apart from a brief period in charge of the Military History and Information Section (MHIS) during the Second World War.

to Vietnam and were killed.

“It was pretty traumatic to hear on the news that we had lost troops and hear the names read out, of these mates, men who I had known very well.

“It was like someone had slugged me in the face with a glove full of concrete,” he said.

Army life began, as for so many young men through the decades, with a spirit of adventure.

The first time he was shot at, the adventure ended and it became deadly serious.

“They had 20 weeks to take men off the street and train them and send them off to fight,” Dave said.

“They treated us like animals.

“They had to teach us how to hate, because you can’t kill the enemy if you don’t hate them.

“And we hated our

trainers. It was only after we got home from the army we realised we owed our lives to those blokes.

“But when we got home, they didn’t de-train or debrief us.

“We weren’t civilians any more.

“We were soldiers, but we were just expected to make that transition back to civilians and our old lives overnight.”

As well as injury, a helicopter crash, the constant threat of attack, the killing and death which surrounded him, Dave said his worst memories were of picking up and bagging body parts.

Like so many other vets, he never told anyone about those experiences.

“My children, my two boys, they’re 43 and 40, and they only found out in the last two years what I did over there. I never spoke a word about it – never told my wife,” Dave

Origins of our War Memorial THE AUSTRALIAN War Memorial ranks among the world’s great national monuments.

The Memorial is more than a monument. Inside the sandstone building, with its copper-clad dome, selections from a vast National Collection of war relics, official and private records, art, photographs, film, and sound are employed to relate the story of the Australian nation’s experience in world wars, regional conflicts, and international peacekeeping.

The Memorial forms the

core of the nation’s tribute to the sacrifice and achievement of the more than 102,000 Australian men and women who died serving their country, and to all those who served overseas and at home. A central commemorative area flanked by arched cloisters houses the names of the fallen on the bronze panels of the Roll of Honour. At the head of the Pool of Reflection, beyond the Flame of Remembrance, stands the towering Hall of Memory, with its interior wall and high dome clad in a six-million-piece mosaic

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and illuminated by striking stained-glass windows.

Inside lies the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier, a symbolic national shrine.

Conception “Many a man lying out there at Pozières or in the low scrub at Gallipoli, with his poor tired senses barely working through the fever of his brain, has thought in his last moments: ‘Well – well – it’s over; but in Australia they will be proud of this’.”

(Charles Bean) After the Gallipoli campaign of 1915, the Australians of the 1st AIF

(Australian Imperial Force) and their official war correspondent, Charles Bean, moved on to the major battle theatre of the Western Front in France and Belgium. The Australians’ first big battles were at Fromelles and Pozières in July 1916.

Bean was deeply moved by the sufferings of the men. He wrote in his diary: Pozières has been a terrible sight all day …

One knew that the Brigades which went in last night were there today in that insatiable factory of ghastly wounds.

Source: awm.gov.au

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psychologist, to admit he had PTSD and ask for help.

“My nerves were completely shot, but it’s a case of real men don’t cry and all that.

“You think people will think you’re weak. But that’s all hogwash.

“When you get help, there’s no cure for PTSD but they can teach you how to manage it, instead of it ruling your life.

SPREADING THE WORD: Dave “I’ve never looked Pankhurst wears his medals back.” as he prepares to speak to For full details of ANZAC students at Narara, one of a Day services, go to number of schools he has http://whatsoncentral spread the ANZAC message to coast.com.au/anzac over the years.

-day.html and remember those who served, those said. lost on the battlefield and “They certainly look at at home as a result of the me differently now. silent killer, PTSD. “They respect what I If you need help, call went through.” the Department of It was 15 years ago, Veterans Affairs on after considering suicide, 1800 555 254 or phone that Dave was convinced Lifeline on 131 114 or to start talking to a 1800 555 254.

www.lovethewayyoulive.net.au

Central Coast

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 9

Wellbeing

The professor lectures on a happy way to age Gail Forrer

IN 1986, a sighting of Hayley’s Comet promised a dazzling vision, but despite the star’s extroverted reputation, it defied our expectations and from an Aussie viewpoint, it made a very introverted sort of orbit.

There was disappointment all around, but never fear, since the mythic minded comet repeats the journey every 75-76 years, there is time for a glittering redemption.

Fifty-six-year-old University of Sunshine Coast Professor Prudence Millear, is one person who’s highlighted the comet’s 2061 return date in her diary.

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it, she said.

“I would be 104 by then, and if I’m going to be around, I want to be healthy and happy.”

The Sunshine Coast University Professor boasts a PhD in Psychology and among other things lectures in the subject of Adult Development and Ageing.

She opens her arms wide to express her wide and wonderful ageing philosophy.

“Stay engaged in life,” she advises.

“Don’t miss the spider web on the grass on a cold winter’s morning.

“Or wonder if a mackerel sky will bring rain.”

Psychology is the second career path for the country girl whose first tertiary degree was Agricultural Science. Dr Millear started psychology studies in 2002 with a graduate diploma. She described this fresh period of personal reinvention as one of “embracing life”.

“I felt unfurled,” she said.

Armed with new knowledge and at a certain age, she sought to identify and shape her own pathway into older adulthood.

“There came a point at a family dinner party when I looked around and considered the personalities at the table,” she said.

She observed the happier older adults communicated with a positive attitude, they were the curious ones, the ones with eyes and minds wide open. That’s who she wanted to be.

Dr Millear does not dismiss the great benefits of good diet and exercise as important factors

contributing to healthy aging, but above all that she is an aficionado of positive attitude.

She says that it’s attitude that allows you to make your choices about diet, exercise, relationships, finances and finally, it is those choices that define you as an older person.

To explain the point, Dr Millear refers to the psychologist Erik Erikson who proposed a theory of psychological development comprising eight stages from infancy to adulthood The last stage, which starts around 65 years of age, is the “ego-integrity vs despair” stage.

“This is time of life when if you have made the right choices you can look back and feel satisfied, we have come to a time of wisdom,” Dr Millear said.

“But if you haven’t and you look back with regret, it’s a time of despair.”

“And it’s completely up to you.

“No one can make those choices for you.

“Push out into the world,” she advises.

Her courses attract students of all ages and she doesn’t see one group as having it better than the other.

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“Gone to Greece, back in two weeks.”

“For young students, it’s all ‘could be’ career, success, kids,” she said.

“For older students, you’ve done it.”

Nevertheless, she sees everyone as facing challenges; younger students are battling with part-time jobs, relationships and growing up, and older students may have responsibilities for mortgages, children, and their own parents.

“But, don’t let it stop you, push out into the world – forget your limitations,” she says.

LIFELONG LEARNER: Dr Prudence Millear

Dr Millear backs up her positive attitude ethos with scientific evidence.

She quotes from* two books by George E Valliant MD which follow a Harvard study of people their teens to old age. Starting in 1938 the books charted the emotional and physical health of 824 people, into their mid-50s, then 80s and over. It highlights behaviours that make for happy longevity and those that result in illness and early death.

Ultimately, the reports agrees to one point – positive attitude leads the way to happy ageing. **Aging Well: Surprising Guidelines to a happier life from the landmark Harvard Study of a adult development.(2003) George E Vaillant M.D. Triumphs of Experience: The Men of the Harvard Grant Study.

(2012) Geoge E. Vaillant M.D.

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10 Seniors Central Coast

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Talk ‘n’ thoughts Hurdles, highjumps and solutions.

AUSTRALIAN women are living longer. By 2030, females born in Australia will have a projected life expectancy of 87.5, up from 84.5 in 2014.

At the same time, older women are at increased risk of homelessness, poverty and other factors affecting their physical, mental and social well-being, and this is particularly true for older women living alone.

To help understand why and create service options that create better health and well-being for older women, the RDNS Institute has launched the Older Women Living Alone research project, funded by a $250,000 grant from the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation.

The two-year project, which started in January, will include analysis of 10 years of clinical data from more than 50,000 older women living alone in Melbourne as well as interviews and forums with about 50 women aged 55 or older who live alone.

The interviews will identify barriers to service access and gaps in service provision, and the forums will bring women together

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK GAIL FORRER Group editor Seniors Newspapers network

with service providers to create services and strategies that address their high priority support needs.

“We know older women living alone are generally at higher risk of late life issues including elder abuse, and they don’t usually access services in the same way as couples or older men living alone,” project co-ordinator Dr Marissa Dickins said.

“We will be looking at why that is – what are the barriers to accessing services that older women are coming up against, and are there strategies that can be put in place to increase their access?

“We’ll then co-create some services and strategies with older women and service providers and evaluate the impact they might have in reducing burdens on the health system.”

More details at: www.rdns.com.au.

HELPING OUT The RDNS Institute informs the work of RSL Care RDNS Limited by conducting high quality translational clinical, health services, and aged care research to inform credible innovation and improve quality in service delivery in the business, as well as influencing health practice and policy in the broader context.

I NOTE that for a while now there has been an effort to raise awareness about elder abuse.

But what about those of us in our 50s and over who are victims of domestic violence?

We tend to only hear about young women and children who have been killed by their husbands or partners, but what about the many of us who have stayed in abusive relationships perhaps “for the sake of the children”, and are now too browbeaten to get out of a miserable relationship?

Perhaps we feel too ashamed to ask for help “at our age”.

Or we don’t even know that our relationship is now considered by law to be abusive, if our husbands/wives control all aspects of our lives and are constantly belittling us with snide remarks.

Because emotional/ relational abuse can be worse than the physical.

It can paralyse you.

I was married for three years to a man who was physically abusive, but it was what he said to me over that time that can still affect me today – and this year I turn 60.

While I had several university qualifications when I first met my husband, it only took two months after the

wedding for my self-esteem to start to go down the gurgler.

If you are told often enough that you are stupid, useless, ugly, fat “and what other man would put up with you?”, you begin to believe it.

Before long you are convinced that when he can’t find his car keys or his comb, it is your fault. You must have moved them, and so the apologising begins.

It is a form of hypervigilance, where you are not just very jumpy if somebody drops a plate, but you are terrified at the prospect of somebody’s rage where poisonous words are screamed into your face.

The great home ownership decline THE great Australian dream of owning your own home has become a nightmare and we are falling behind the rest of the world.

The sharp fall in home ownership has been revealed in a new report, No place like home: the impact of declining home ownership on retirement.

Every home loan customer could be paying too much if they do this.

The alarming findings showed more and more Australians will be retiring either never owning their own home

or carrying a hefty mortgage debt.

Written by independent economist Saul Eslake and commissioned by the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees, it also found we don’t compare well to the rest of the world — our home ownership rate is at 27th globally behind countries including Romania, Croatia, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Sweden and Canada.

Mr Eslake said many more people would need to dip into their super at retirement to wipe outstanding home loan debt.

“We are on the cusp of

seeing a significant increase in the number of people aged 65 and over who still have some mortgage debt,’’ he said.

“Or alternatively what will continue to happen is that when people reach retirement age they use their super to pay off their mortgage. In turn, that will mean their super won’t do what it is meant to do.”

The report revealed increases in the proportion of homeowners aged between 35–64 who still have outstanding home loan debt with much of it fuelled by soaring house prices and more people

taking larger loans.

For those nearing retirement (aged 55–65) about 45% have mortgage debt, up from 29% in 1995–96. And for homeowners over age 65, about 10% have outstanding debt, which has more than doubled from about 4% in 1995–96.

The Australian Institution of Superannuation Trustees’ chief executive officer Eva Scheerlinck said the homeownership slide would continue to put pressure on superannuation savings and lead to reliance on the aged pension.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Email editor@seniorsnewspaper.com.au or go online to www.seniorsnews.com.au.

Seniors News

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Further, years later, you still find yourself apologising for existing. Don’t forget that on top of being stupid, ugly, incompetent, and fat you’re labelled “selfish” day after day.

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Central Coast

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 11

BREAST CANCER FEATURE

Cutting edge treatment is available in local area RADIATION Oncology Centres Gosford offers the latest radiation therapy approaches including Deep Inspiration Breath Hold, a treatment technique that protects the patients’ heart from radiation doses during breast cancer treatment.

DIBH is delivered using an innovative device that works with the treatment machine and results in precise radiation therapy that benefits many patients with left-sided breast cancer.

While undergoing radiation treatment, the patient is attached to a device which monitors their breathing.

At the specified time, the device signals to the patient when to take a deep breath so the lungs fill with air and the heart is moved away from the chest wall, therefore away from the vicinity of the radiation beams.

Radiation Oncologist at ROC Gosford Dr Edward Sun said this technology will benefit breast cancer patients.

“Breast cancer patients are living much longer, rather than looking at just the treatment options, we need to look at quality of survival and minimising the long term side effects of treatment,” Dr Sun said.

This innovation adds to the suite of advanced treatment approaches at ROC Gosford which is the only regional radiation oncology service in Australia that has a Tomotherapy machine – a cutting edge treatment unit that is superior in treatment delivery and precision than conventional machines.

“Being able to offer these innovative techniques ensures the local community are

BREAST CANCER: Radiation Oncology Centres Gosford offers the latest radiation therapy.

getting the latest and best possible treatment available, right here where they live – not by travelling to the closest major city,” he added.

Local Gosford resident and ROC site manager Kylie Seiffert said the DIBH technology will provide a world-class service to the local

community.

“At ROC we are committed to providing exceptional cancer care and DIBH is one example of our dedication to

:

providing the latest technology and treatment techniques to more and more Australians, close to where they live,” Ms Seiffert said.

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12 Seniors Central Coast

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

BREAST CANCER FEATURE

Practical tips for post breast cancer Tracey Johnstone

BREAST Cancer Network Australia ambassador Raelene Boyle AM MBE has some succinct and poignant messages to share with people in the breast cancer community.

As a breast and ovarian cancer sufferer, Ms Boyle has for several years taken her experience to the streets, encouraging, sharing and inspiring survivors of the diseases towards a better life.

The multiple-medalwinning Olympic and Commonwealth Games runner has also effectively used her public profile to advocate for keeping breast cancer issues in the spotlight.

For survivors ■ Life’s short; move forward.

■ Recognise that once diagnosed, life changes and everyone has issues.

■ Also, once you’ve got it and you’ve had your

treatment, look forward, don’t look back.

■ Try to deal with things as they happen and not worry about the things you don’t know about.

■ Don’t create issues that you haven’t got.

■ Don’t put off to tomorrow, what you can do today.

❝

Over the years I have let go of the small stuff and I have been able to prioritise the important stuff in my life.

“Over the years I have let go of the small stuff and I have been able to prioritise the important stuff in my life,” Ms Boyle said.

She said she was knocked around by her breast and ovarian

MOVING ON: BCNA ambassador Raelene Boyle.

PHOTOS: BREAST CANCER NETWORK AUSTRALIA

cancers, heart issues and epilepsy, but she said each time she was down, she got up and looked forward.

It is 21 years since she was first diagnosed.

“I still suffer fear when it comes up to the next mammogram,” an

emotional Ms Boyle said.

For partners Ms Boyle noted it was hard for partners as survivors often were scared and moody. She recommended: ■ Go gently and let the individual have space.

■ Sometimes it better to not argue, but just give a person a cuddle, and say “can I get you a cup of tea”.

For both ■ Find a buddy who has been through the same journey and talk about it.

Couple talk about their roller coaster cancer fight Alison Houston

SHARON Sojourner’s attitude to her battle with breast cancer is unique and heart-warming.

“In a strange way, it’s been a blessing,” she said.

“You have to focus on the good stuff.

“I could have gone my whole life and not realised I was surrounded by so much goodness and warm-heartedness.”

Her ready laugh belies the fact that the diagnosis of stage 4 cancer has been far from easy on her and husband Mark.

She had almost finished her nursing degree when she was diagnosed early this year, and had to complete the last four weeks of prac while on chemo.

She also had a job lined up to start in early March.

That’s now on hold.

Their budget had literally

been banking on it.

“I think the hardest thing is how it affects everything else going on in your life,” Sharon said.

“Future plans go out the window and everything is pretty much taken over by doctors and medical appointments. It’s pretty confronting.”

To a large extent, Sharon said fighting cancer was a mind battle, which she admitted was “way more challenging that I thought it would be”.

“I’m optimistic by nature, but it’s very hard when you have to willingly poison yourself,” she said.

“You feel so bad it’s almost impossible to explain and then you get better and you have to go back and do it to yourself again.”

Her advice to others is to be informed of your own care.

Research it. Own it.

FOCUS ON THE GOOD: Mark and Sharon Sojourner say it’s vital to see the positives in this tumultuous experience.

Know the treatment and side effects.

Look for and allow the

blessings of other people and see the positives in life.

Drawing on the strength of others, reaching out to them and telling them how

you feel, and realising you can’t do it alone is also important for the patient and their loved ones.

Mark agrees.

He said nothing prepared you for the emotional turmoil of diagnosis in a partner and how it changed your lives.

He wished there was more information and support available for partners.

“As a partner, it’s very much like a nightmare from which you know you won’t wake up,” he said.

“You can’t just make it go away. This is real.”

But neither one of them has any intention of letting the nightmare take over.

“When the diagnosis came through, we thought ‘we can’t control this disease but we can control the way we respond to it’ and that gave us hope – we still have some control over our lives,” Mark said.

Central Coast

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 13

BREAST CANCER FEATURE

Getting check ups after 70

Think again about when to have test

Tracey Johnstone

WITH Australian women living longer and staying healthier, there is a strong argument for them to continue having mammographic breast screening, even after reaching the age of 70.

In recent years research has shown increasing women’s breast screening upper age limit to 74 benefits a person diagnosed with early stage cancer.

Australasian Society of Breast Physicians past president Deborah Pfeiffer said previous studies into the survival benefit of screening had been conducted on women aged 50 to 69 only, with the peak incidence of breast cancer in that age group, and the average age of diagnosed breast cancer in Australian women of 59 to 60.

“However, the older a woman becomes, the more likely breast cancer may occur,” Dr Pfeiffer said.

“As the number of women goes down with aging, the absolute number of women affected goes down.

The survival rate in cancer is usually judged at five or 10 years, so if a person would be expected to live that period of time, then screening for cancer may be worthwhile,” Dr Pfeiffer said.

“With screening, we want to find the cancer at the earliest possible stage where you anticipate treatment will be less invasive and more successful,” she added. The most effective screening was still mammography, but as there is no perfect screening tool, Dr Pfeiffer also recommended all women over 70 continued to have an annual clinical exam.

Stop being man-proud and look after your health MELANOMA patient Peter Robinson has issued a word of serious advice to other men to look after themselves better, cover up and stop being man-proud.

The 64-year-old is recovering from left-breast mastectomy and lymph node surgery to treat an aggressive melanoma.

He was your typical Aussie kid and young adult; out in the sun most of year, playing in the surf and on the sand with no sunscreen in sight, no hats and no idea of what skin damage was occurring to blue-eyed, freckly boy.

What was a small childhood freckle just below his left nipple, over the years grew into the size of a 50 cent coin.

“I probably looked at it every day, but I didn’t see it,” Peter said.

“Living in the UK, I was working 15-hour days and I had no time to think about myself.

“That miniscule time of the day when I showered, I didn’t look.”

It wasn’t until Peter got back to his home in Nelson Bay on the north coast of NSW that reality struck.

GET CHECKED: Peter Robinson is enjoying his time and living life to the full, after recovering from left-breast mastectomy and lymph node surgery to treat an aggressive melanoma.

He went to the doctor because of bronchitis.

As the doctor went to put the stethoscope on his chest, her “jaw dropped” as she inspected the flat, white and brown and black growth on his left breast.

The subsequent biopsy revealed a melanoma of such significant depth its removal was mandatory,

along with two lymph nodes.

Peter said it was a “no brainer” when he chose to have the operation in January last year.

“It was almost the same as a woman would experience,” he said.

“They took the entire nipple and the rest of the breast all the way back to the armpit.”

One of the lymph nodes was found to have a few cancer cells in it, so Peter made the second big decision to have the rest of the lymph nodes removed a few months later in March.

Peter has tapped into the support services at the Melanoma Clinic at Newcastle’s Mater Hospital, but he hasn’t

reached out to any support groups.

“When it becomes individualised, you focus on your own lot and with the open-door policy at the Melanoma unit where you can talk to anyone at any time, I can’t see the need to join groups where people may want to wallow in their own misery,” Peter said.

“I want to keep positive about it and keep a positive view of life.”

To manage his health Peter has modified his diet and lost weight, and is following a program of light exercise including walking and occasional swimming, plus self-massage of the arm area to reduce the incidence of lymphoedema.

“I override any discomfort I have from the operation scars and mentally I don’t engage with it, I just get on with life,” Peter added.

His advice is to cover up instead of trying to be a golden adonises, take advice from professionals that handle cancer issues daily, change your diet and lose weight, get an annual skin check and look after yourself.

In January, at his quarterly check-up, Peter was told by a specialist he has a 20% chance of another cancer occurring somewhere in this body.

“Because there is no instruction book with this, I am going to sit down with a clinical psychologist about how to manage all of this in my mind from here on,” Peter said.

14 Seniors Central Coast

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Finance

What is the value of cover YOU really can have too much of a good thing.

A recent report from the Insurance in Superannuation Industry Working Group found many Australians hold multiple life insurance policies through their super, and the premiums are eating away at nest eggs.

Life insurance is an automatic feature of many super funds, and that’s generally a good thing. It means many working Australians have life cover in place, when they otherwise would not.

Fund trustees can’t second guess your

THINK MONEY PAUL CLITHEROE personal circumstances so it’s always important to check how much cover you have in place.

According to Canstar’s latest star rating report on life insurance, cover in super is usually only worth $100,000 or $200,000, and you could need considerably more.

Your super fund can tell you the value of your life insurance.

And if it turns out you’re underinsured, it’s easy to top up your cover by contacting the fund manager.

The premiums come out of super contributions or your fund balance, so if you’d rather hang onto the money for retirement, think about arranging separate life insurance outside of super.

The downside of automatic cover is that if you have more than one super fund you could be over-insured, and the additional premiums will steadily erode your account balance.

In fact, four out of 10

Australians have multiple super funds.

So the problem of over-insurance is widespread.

The issue is more serious if you have income protection cover across a number of super accounts.

Most income protection policies only let you insure up to 75% of your wage or salary if you become sick and can’t work.

You can’t normally claim on more than one policy because you’d end up receiving more than 100% of your normal income. It makes having more than one policy a waste of

money, and the premiums could be better used to grow retirement savings.

I should explain, it’s possible to have more than one income protection policy in place but it only works if the waiting and benefit periods are complementary.

For example, the cover held through your super could have a 90-day wait period with benefits paid for two years.

Alongside this, a separate policy could have a two-year wait period, and pay benefits until you turn age 65.

But it’s doubtful this

sort of match would be the result of coincidence.

It all reinforces the value of having just one super fund, and checking you have the right cover in place for your needs.

Paying premiums on insurance policies that you don’t need or can’t claim on will make the insurer rich, and leave you financially worse off in retirement.

Paul Clitheroe is a founding director of financial planning firm ipac, chairman of the Australian Government Financial Literacy Board and chief commentator for Money Magazine.

How to get ready for Super changes on July 1 WITH the introduction of superannuation reforms, some of the rules around super contributions and the tax breaks available will change from July 1, 2017.

Read what the changes could mean for you and what opportunities you could take advantage of before the end of financial year.

Here’s what’s changing: 1. Concessional contributions – before tax contributions or contributions for which a tax deduction was claimed ■ The concessional contributions cap reducing to $25,000 for all individuals (currently $30,000 or $35,000

depending on individual’s age) ■ An additional 15% tax will apply to concessional contributions where individual’s income plus concessional contributions exceed $250,000 pa (currently $300,000 pa) ■ It will be possible to make personal tax-deductible super contributions up to the cap regardless of employment status (currently subject to 10% test) ■ If the concessional contributions cap is not fully used, from July 1, 2018 it may be possible to accrue unused amounts for up to five years and make a larger

contribution (certain eligibility criteria apply) 2. Non-concessional contributions – after-tax contributions ■ The non-concessional contributions cap is reducing from $180,000 per annum to $100,000 per annum or from $540,000 to $300,000 if bringing forward a total of three years’ contributions (certain eligibility criteria apply).

Transitional rules apply in certain circumstances ■ Individuals with total superannuation balance (accumulation and pension) of $1.6 million will not be able to make non-concessional contributions 3. Super pension

Power saving ideas for your home

■ Get into the habit of turning off and unplugging your kettle, washing machine, stereo and other items when you’re not using them.

■ Other ways to switch off and save are: ■ Unplug your second fridge – if you have a second fridge, keep it unplugged and switched off until you need it.

■ Dress for the temperature – put on a jumper and warm socks instead of turning on the heater.

■ Avoid using the dryer – hang your washing outside on sunny days,

and use an indoor clothes rack when it’s raining, instead of using the clothes dryer.

■ Hot water bottle – use a hot water bottle instead of an electric blanket. If you do use an electric blanket, turn it on to warm up the bed before you get in. Then, turn if off before you go to sleep.

■ Turn off the lights ■ Take advantage of the sun and rely on natural light as much as you can each day. When you do need to use the lights, remember to turn them off when you leave

Here are some power saving ideas for your home.

■ Switch off and unplug ■ A quick and easy way to reduce your electricity bill is to turn off appliances at the powerpoint when you’re not using them. When things like computers and TVs switch into standby mode, they still use electricity, which can really add up over time.

lifetime limit ■ A lifetime limit of $1.6 million (indexed) will apply to the amount of super that can be transferred to pension phase (no limit now) ■ People with existing

pensions over $1.6 million will need to reduce their total pension balance to $1.6 million or less before July 1 to avoid penalties.

■ Capital gains tax relief may be available when commuting excess amounts back to accumulation account to meet the above requirement.

4. Transition to retirement pension – Tax paid on earnings from investments held in transition to retirement pensions will be increased from 0% to a maximum of 15% (capital gains tax relief may be available).

5. Spouse contributions –The

annual cut-out income threshold for the tax offset for spouse contributions will be increased from $13,800 to $40,000. Certain eligibility criteria apply.

How can we help?

Navigating and making the most of these complex changes requires an expert understanding not only of the legislation but also of the current investment environment.

For more information, download the attached or visit NAB Financial Planning.

This story first appeared in Business, Research and Insights March 24, 2017.

the room.

■ If you have a single storey home, consider installing skylights.

■ Shop around for a better deal ■ Compare energy suppliers to make sure you’re getting the best deal. You can compare energy offers in your area by visiting the Federal Government’s Energy Made Easy website.

■ Close the gaps and trap the heat ■ Use a door snake under the door, and seal up any gaps or cracks around your windows, doors, ceilings and

floors.

■ When you’re using the heater, close the door to keep the heat inside the room. Then, when the room is warm enough, switch it off. Closing your curtains or blinds at night also helps to trap the heat in.

■ Check the energy rating ■ When you’re buying a new appliance like an air-conditioner, fridge, washing machine or dishwasher, check the energy star rating. This will help you find the most efficient products and save you money in

the long run.

■ You can save a lot of electricity by buying energy efficient light bulbs and appliances.

Download the Energy Rating app to see the running costs.

■ Save Water Here are some ideas on ways to save water and to lower your water bill.

■ Take shorter showers.

■ Install a water efficient showerhead.

■ Install a dual flush on your toilet.

■ Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth.

SUPER CHANGES: Here's what you need to know.

PHOTO: S-C-S

Central Coast

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 15

Living

Life an adventure for 90-year-old speedster Tracey Johnstone

PETER Mounsey plans to celebrate his 90th birthday by attempting to set a world land speed record on a salt lake in South Australia.

The adventurous master mariner – who has sailed around the world twice, completed several short and single-handed ocean races with great success and last month helped sail a 30-foot yacht from Sydney to Hobart – has now caught a very different kind of bug.

Early next year he will head to Lake Gairdner to participate in the Dry Lakes Racing Association’s annual Speed Week.

“I am going to see if I can do 100 miles an hour on a 77-year-old bike,” he said.

“For me, life is doing things and while I can do it, I will try it.”

Peter will have turned 90 by the time he attempts the record in February.

Living next door to him is Stuart Hooper, the owner of a Velocette motorcycle he has used for salt lake speed records for the past several years.

Stuart broke a world speed record last year at

Peter Mounsey keeps fit by training three times a week in his home-made gym.

❝

For me, life is doing things and while I can do it, I will try it.

— Peter Mounsey

ACTIVE AGING: Peter Mounsey's speed machine, less the engine that is currently being overhauled.

Lake Gairdner when he raced his modified 1959 Velocette to 193.061mph.

“I went with him last year,” Peter said.

“I thought, ‘s**t, I can do this’.

“Whether I do or not is another thing, but I will give it a try.”

Stuart will be alongside Peter early next year as they push their motorcycles against the

clock on Lake Gairdner, which is located about 150km north-west of Port Augusta.

It’s a large, dry salt lake about 130km long and 32km wide.

“It’s just about solid salt,” Peter said. “You have to go through some desert to get there – it’s a bit hair-raising.

“Then you have to go from dustpan down onto a

landing where it is shallow salt and follow a platform which goes out until it’s solid enough for a car to be on.”

While Stuart will be pushing his much larger Velocette on the nine-mile course for motorbikes aiming to achieve more than 175mph, Peter will be on the shorter course for bike speeds less than 175mph.

There are laser beams about half a mile apart on the track that are used to record speeds at the critical judging time.

During the five days of Speed Week, drivers can make several speed attempts.

Among the international field of participants this year was a blindfolded rider, Ben Felten, who achieved 125mph, so why

not a 90-year-old who has mastered the ocean and now wants to master the lake?

“There’s no personal gain, except my own satisfaction of achieving something that not many people do,” Peter said.

“I’m a bit afraid of motorbikes, but it will be safe as a bank out there as you just go in a straight line.”

Shake off anger with 10 forgiving steps Tracey Johnstone

FORGIVENESS: Get rid of anger and commit to feeling better.

PHOTO: IPOPBA

THERE are ways to forgive the people around you who have caused you angst for any number of reasons, but doing so can sometimes be hard without a helping hand to guide you.

Rather than getting bogged down in the stress of feeling hurt and angry, you could consider confronting that hurt and letting it go by the process of forgiveness.

Reducing the grip of anger and resentment can be an empowering act.

But how do you go about forgiving?

The team at the UC

Greater Good Science Centre suggests using the following nine steps.

■ 1. Know exactly how you feel about what happened and how to articulate the situation, then tell a few trusted people about your experience.

■ 2. Make a commitment to yourself to feel better since forgiveness should be about you, not anyone else.

■ 3. Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily mean reconciling with the person who upset you or condoning their actions.

It’s about seeking the peace and understanding that comes from blaming people less after they hurt

you and taking those offences less personally.

■ 4. Get the right perspective on what is happening.

Recognise that your primary distress is coming from the hurt feelings, thoughts, and physical upset you are suffering now, not from what hurt you two minutes, or 10 years ago.

■ 5. At the time you feel upset, practice stress management to soothe your body’s fight-or-flight response. This could mean taking deep breaths, doing a mindful breathing exercise, taking a walk outside or whatever is most effective for you.

■ 6. Give up expecting things from your life or from other people that they do not choose to give you.

■ 7. Put your energy into looking for another way to get your positive goals met rather than through the experience that has hurt you.

■ 8. Remember that a life well-lived is your best revenge.

■ 9. Change the way you look at your past to remind yourself of your choice to forgive.

■ 10. Defining your life by what is good in it, and not what is bad, can empower you towards a healthier, happier life.

16 Seniors Central Coast

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Travel FEW forms of travel are more senior-friendly than cruising. It ticks all the boxes for the mature person.

Here are Ann Rickard’s 10 top reasons to step on board and sail into the sunset.

1. BECAUSE WE CAN

Where once cruising was difficult for the mature or not-so-abled person, now it is not.

With walking frames, scooters and wheelchairs welcome on board, and plenty of trained crew to whizz you up and down a gangplank, just about everyone can cruise.

Elevators on all big ships and spacious lounge/dining areas mean getting around is doable.

2. EASY ON AND OFF

With online check-in, embarkation is just a matter of showing up, going through immigration and security and you are ready to enter another world.

3. UNPACK ONCE

We all know the hassles of packing, unpacking and packing again if we tour by road or train – and let’s not even talk about getting bags in and out of hotels.

Group Travel S p ec i al i s t s Trade Travel

10 very good reasons to go - CRUISING 4. DESTINATIONS

Destinations never-before attainable, now are.

It is impossible to get to PNG’s Conflict Islands – as we did on Pacific Eden last year – without endless hours of air and road travel and enormous discomfort.

Scenic cruising in Alaska’s Glacier Bay on board Nieuw Amsterdam recently was a memorable highlight, something we could never have done on our own.

A day gently gliding along New Zealand’s Fiordland and Milford Sound on Emerald Princess took us close to nature’s marvels while sitting on the decks with a glass of bubbles – better

than hiking through the beautiful but formidable national park, no?

New itineraries now take us to places we once could only dream about.

5. FOOD

Yes, lots of it, and yes, it can get frantic around the buffet, but other dining options on-board today are dazzling, with more and more celebrity chefs putting their names to at-sea restaurants.

Curtis Stone has opened SHARE on board Emerald Princess with some of his signature dishes we would normally have to wait months to try (butter poached lobster or chocolate cremeux, anyone?) in his LA restaurant (and we

couldn’t afford to get there anyway).

Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill on P&O ships is where you’ll enjoy some of his signature dishes including the famous licorice parfait.

Dragon Lady on Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden serve sublime Asian cuisine in luxe surroundings.

Master chef Rudi Sodamin will debut pop-up restaurants on Holland America ships serving classic French dishes, a rare treat.

6. ENTERTAINMENT

You don’t have to queue to get a ticket for a Broadway-class act; just turn up at the ship’s theatre, take a seat, let

crew members bring you drinks and sit back and watch world-class theatre.

7. LEARNING

Free photography and IT classes fill quickly on board. Then there is the learning that appeals even more: cooking demonstrations, food and wine pairing.

QM2 has an elegant wine tasting room where sommeliers will guide you through wines from its global cellar. Sipping wines from regions you’ve never heard of in luxe surroundings is one heck of a way to learn.

8. SHOPPING

We might not be able to afford a Tiffany’s diamond necklace but we can sure

look.

Same goes for a Rolex watch or Montblanc pen or Ferragamo handbag.

Browsing in high-end shops with their big label names and unbeatable glamour all under the one roof is possible at sea.

9. COMFORT

Cabins – or staterooms as they are called today – have big beds, beautiful bedding, pillow menus, flat-screen televisions with movie options, a personal steward to look after your needs.

And who doesn’t love a little chocolate on their pillow at turn-down? Spas on board modern ships are fragrant tranquil places where all up-to-the-minute treatments are available.

10. AFFORDABILITY

If you are inclined to work out the exact cost of your cruise by dividing the number of nights between the fare, you’ll find many cruises average around $100 a night or even less, inclusive of food, entertainment and activities. Of course you can run up a big bar bill or go wild with shopping, but if you plan carefully and make the most of everything available, you will find no better value than a cruise.

travel

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Central Coast

Seniors 17

Princess on emerald Ann Rickard

HAVING a full body massage in a candle-lit room with soft music in the background is always going to be bliss. A rejuvenating facial after the massage is double the indulgence.

Now add another level of spa heaven: the gentle rolling of a mighty big ship beneath you.

Welcome to the world of spa paradise at sea.

Most of today’s ships have elegant spas where groomed staff gently usher you in for everything from Botox to pedicures.

The Lotus Spa on board P&O’s Emerald Princess has daily specials as well as an extensive spa menu and free seminars every day to inform you about everything health-connected – from looking after your liver (difficult with so many bars on board), to information on non-surgical face-lifts, to relieving back pain, and walking in comfort.

It’s all about choices on board – and sometimes the spa is the best place to head to if trying to keep

Float in the pool and whirlpools.

Enjoy the marvellous fabulous magic show.

CRUISING: The Emerald Princess' movies under the stars.

up with many activities becomes too much.

We love balance on a cruise: a bit of everything, a lot of spa time, and something new to experience.

A chocolate and wine

tasting at Emerald Princess’ Vines Bar saw us sitting at a Stammtisch (German word for sharing table) matching three different wines with exquisite chocolates by renowned chocolatier

Norman Love.

Who would have thought a glass of pink French wine would match so perfectly with a white chocolate raspberry?

It is all about learning, enjoying, and forming new friendships around the Stammtisch.

An important part of a cruise is to try something

new every day and, as P&O’s slogan goes, to come back new.

Certainly we had never sat on a ship’s deck before watching a movie on a giant screen while the ocean swelled and moved around us.

We had not joined in a Zumba class either.

Nor had we ever played

poker before, and even though that was available every day and evening in the casino, we left that one to other more adventurous passengers.

We also left the pool games to others too although we very much liked stretching out on the deckchairs licking ice-cream and watching the fun.

Although relaxing in elegant bars is not new to us, doing it at sea with the awesome ocean on view through windows, certainly is.

Our week-long cruise took us from New Zealand, through the scenic Fiordland National Park, on to Hobart and back to Sydney.

Diamond Princess will sail on a 12-night round trip from Sydney to New Zealand on January 25, 2018, with calls to Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Akaroa and Dunedin with scenic cruising through the Fiordland National Park.

Fares start from $2,099 per person twin share.

More info at Princess Cruises on 13 24 88 or visit princess.com.

2018 Europe

RIVER CRUISE IN

RELAXED LUXURY

River cruise through Europe and experience the relaxed luxury that’s unique to Avalon. Offering exquisite service that’s professional, friendly and comfortable – never stuffy – our ships become your home away from home.

AVALON CHOICE OFFERS BOOK A CRUISE &

RECEIVE $2,400 UP TO

HOLIDAY* CREDIT

Choose how to apply your credit: FLIGHTS

Your choice of Airline, your choice of travel dates

GLOBUS TOUR

Extend your holiday with a Globus Tour

HOTELS

UPGRADES

Your choice of pre or post nights

Upgrade, add transfers or book optional excursions

COSMOS TOUR

MONOGRAMS CITY STAY

Extend your holiday with a Cosmos Tour

Extend your holiday with a Monograms City Stay

* Terms & Conditions apply. Above saving is per couple.

For more information or to book:

EMAIL CENTRALCOAST@TTAGROUP.COM.AU OR VISIT WWW.CRUISEANDTRAVELCENTRALCOAST.COM.AU

Terms & conditions: Prices correct as of 03/04/17 and are subject to change without notice. $2400 per couple, $1800 per couple, $1200 per couple holiday credit valid on select 2018 Europe river cruises as listed overleaf. All other Europe departure dates receive $600 per couple holiday credit. Offer valid for new 2018 bookings made from 05/04/17 to 06/06/17 or until sold out. Applicable holiday credit can be used on any Globus Family of Brands product. Should your chosen product not yet be available, you may pre-register your interest. Discount will be applied on the cruise booking at time of reservation. Holiday add on options are subject to separate conditions and availability. All care is taken to promote correct pricing at time of printing, is dependent upon cruise and cabin category availability, and will be confirmed at time of reservation. Offer not applicable to Avalon/Royal Suites. Non-refundable, non-transferable deposit of $500 per person/per cruise required within 7 days to secure reservation. Offer not combinable with any other offer except Journey’s Club discount (Must be a Journeys Club member and must present member number full payment is paid to receive a 5% discount based on Category E - excluding extra night accommodations, extension programs, port charges, upgrades and single supplements). Offers can be withdrawn or amended at any time without notice. Additional restrictions may apply. For full terms and conditions see the 2018 Avalon Waterways Brochure or visit avalonwaterways.com.au.

18 Seniors Central Coast

travel

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

A man who pictured shape of modernity

A trip to NSW Art gallery brings you face to face with Warhol .

ERLE LEVEY Journalist .

SUCCESS is a job in New York. It was an illustration for an article in Glamour Magazine dated September 1949, the illustration now claims the unique position of number one in the inimitable Andy Warhol’s artistic timeline.

During the Post World War II period advertising agencies blossomed. It was the Mad Men era of Madison Ave and it’s where Warhol gained a name and fame etching fashion and ads of shoes, clothing, perfume. Now these brilliant, history making sketches are on display in Sydney -– some never exhibited before.

Adman: Warhol before pop is one of those timed/ticketed exhibitions at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where you

can enjoy special moments with the art but without the crowds.

Yet if you are looking for the Marilyn and Mao prints, the Campbells soup cans and Coca-Cola bottles of his pop art period, forget it.

This is an exhibition of the early works of Warhol, as he struggled to find fame in the advertising world.

More than 300 works, many never seen on public display, provide an insight into this artist.

A man for his time or a time for this man? We learnt lot about the pop Warhol period in the exhibition at GOMA 10 years ago but little about his life before that.

That’s why this exhibition is so fascinating. We see his style developing, his whimsical humour and wit, the way he used creativity

over technical ability. The way he observed or reflected life and used it as comment, long before personal computers and mobile phones.

In doing so, he established his own identifiable “brand” ... a style that appealed to clients at a time when photography was on the rise.

Warhol established this approach with his first New York commission, for the September issue of Glamour magazine. By 1952 he had a roster of clients that included magazines, record labels and the fashion industry.

It’s great to wander and check out the interactive screens depicting artist Warhol’s journals. Various subject, personal life and advertising sketches of shoes and feet (in particular) abound.

Then there’s the

Holiday Inclusions

Home pick-up and return for Central Coast & Newcastle Passengers, Quality motel accommodation, cooked breakfast and two course dinner each day, 5 star toilet equipped coach travel with experienced and informative coach captain/guide.

12 Day Airlie Beach & The Whitsunday Tour Departing 14th June 2017 Including Bundaberg Rum Factory, Great Kepple Island, 3 night Airlie Beach, Outer Reef Cruise and Eco River Cruise Tour Price: $2999 per person twin share

8 Day Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers Departing 14th September

Two nights in Canberra, visit Commonwealth Park for Floriade Cruise Lake Burley Griffin, visit the War Memorial and the National Museum of Australia and spend time at the beautiful Tulip Gardens just out of Canberra.

Tour Price: $595.00 per person twin share 4 Day Spring into the Mountains Departing 19th October Three nights in Leura, visit Mayfield Gardens, Campbell Rhododendron Gardens, Mt Wilson and Mount Tomah A wonderful time to discover the Blue Mountain gardens.

Tour Price: $799.00 per person twin share

6 Day Riverina Explorer Leeton & Griffith

Departing 12th October Spend a relaxing 5 nights in Leeton to explore the Riverina area.

Discover Griffith and the Festival of Flowers, be amazed at the citrus sculptures And visit a local winery. Spend a day at Altina Wildlife Park on a Zoofari and visit Australia’s oldest theatre, “The Roxy”.

Tour Price: $1295.00 per person twin share Many more day tours, short breaks and extended coach holidays available for further information and booking contact our office.

Shop 5a, Gosford Central Plaza 153 Mann Street, GOSFORD NSW 2250 Email: info@easytourstravel.com.au Telephone: (02) 4325 8000 Local Call: 1300 364 036

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3 Day Canberra Floriade Departing 4th October

Including: overnight Tamworth, 4 nights Toowoomba with guided garden tours, Cobb & Co Museum, reserved seating for the Grand Parade and more.

Overnight Hope Island and the Outback Spectacular dinner and show “Solute to the Light Horse” Tour Price: $1650.00 per person twin share

thought-provoking sketch of Natalie Wood. One of those quick, relaxed and skilful sketches only a professional artist can whip up so quickly and easily.

I wonder: “When did she die?”

So quickly, so easily research is done there and then. The tragic drowning one windy night after a shoreside dinner and drinks. Too much drink? A BAC of 0.14%.

Enough alcohol in the bloodstream and brain to make reaction and thoughts encumbered.

So, art provokes curiosity, the internet enables information.

Visiting the Warhol exhibition opens many closed doors of long ago memories. Remember when same sex relationships were hidden away in the closets?

Illegal.

Warhol and his cohorts changed attitudes. This exhibition mixes personal and private lives, while introducing Andy’s mother.

She lived with him in New York, and was responsible for the handwritten script in many advertisements.

Born Andrew Warhola on August 6, 1928 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Slovakian immigrants, the young Warhol battled illness that confined him to bed for long stretches until his teens. His mother had a very religious background and she played a big part in his life, particularly after the early death of his father who was a coal miner.

Perhaps it was this background that gave him the drive to succeed. This drive coupled with a dazzling imagination saw him design the big Miss Dior piece, decorate such stores as Tiffany & Co, Lord & Taylor and Bergdorf Goodman. He designed album covers, book jackets and even illustrated the raindrops, suns and clouds used in early-morning television weather reports.

In a breath of pure creativity, he used his mum’s handwriting in some of the copy. He used people a lot. Other people became his own art.

Later on, he removed himself from this art style and reflected upon life – realistically and unglorified. His work

focused on removing emotion, instead he copied and reflected people’s desires back at them.

“The reason I’m painting this way is that I want to be a machine, and I feel that whatever I do and do machine-like is what I want to do,” Warhol said.

He didn’t confine himself to one medium.

He tried them all. In this show you can expect to gain a fascinating insight into Warhol and the era.

The show is more like a little museum or an open encyclopaedia than a typical gallery viewing.

Art Gallery of NSW director Dr Michael Brand said the show provided an exciting opportunity for

visitors to the gallery to understand the formative years of one of the world’s most influential artists, providing deeper insight into the making of an icon.

“It is difficult to think of an American artist who has exerted a greater impact on the visual culture of our times than Andy Warhol, so we are thrilled to present this first-time experience for Australian audiences to delve into the early years of his career.’’

■ WHAT:Adman: Warhol before pop ■ WHERE:Art Gallery of NSW ■ WHEN: until May 28 ■ COST: Book timed entry tickets: artgallery.nsw.gov.au

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

travel

Central Coast

Seniors 19

Hong Kong streets are full of great things to discover Phil Hawkes

THERE was a time when a trip to Hong Kong had the shopping juices fired up.

Everything from the major fashion brand names to cameras and watches was seemingly on endless sale (even if Stanley Market and Granville Road presented some, er, cheaper options). How many times were we offered the whispered attraction of a “genuine” Rolex in Nathan Road?

How about a shiny new Nikon lens, sir? Or a tailor-made suit?

Well, times move on and Hong Kong’s rents are now close to the world’s most expensive and massive malls now attract wealthy visitors from across the border, leaving Aussies in their wake in brand name fever and conspicuous consumption.

Don’t despair ... there is good news if you know where to go and what to look for. And it’s not necessarily shopping for luxury goods. No, the real deal in Hong Kong is not in the major city areas and malls but rather in the fringe precincts. For

example, Aberdeen on the south side and Mongkok in Kowloon are places where local people shop, eat and drink without the “tourist” prices that support developers and landlords.

One such emerging precinct is Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island, really an extension of Central but a safe walking distance or tram ride from the high-rise scene.

Sheung Wan’s streetscape is a higgledy-piggledy hotchpotch of lanes, alleys and stairways designed to test the knees and thighs. The architecture is a beguiling mix of extremes ... from old shopfront houses and terraces to modern commercial buildings and apartments. Luckily, much of the character of the area has been preserved, and community activity at the historic Man Mo Temple and other places still draws crowds.

But it’s the “new” rather than the “old” that’s transformed Sheung Wan into a vibrant neighbourhood popular not only with expats and the younger local crowd,

but increasingly tourists like us looking for something different away from the usual shopping haunts and the business hotels populated by suits.

To get a true taste of the district we embark on a different walk with a small group led by Lilian of Foodie Tours. We’ve been warned that as the tour starts at 2pm to avoid the lunch hour rush, we should arrive on an empty stomach ... and we are certainly glad we did.

We walk around the narrow streets, up and down steps of “Ladder Street” and others, linger a while for Lilian’s informative commentary, and partake of a moveable feast of Cantonese delights.

These range from special wonton noodles to roast meats like barbecue pork, preserved fruits, pure cane juice, herbal teas and the best dim sum you’ll ever try.

After all, Hong Kong is recognised by many as a kind of foodie heaven.

■ The writer was guest of www.discoverhong kong.com www.hongkongairlines .com

20 Seniors Central Coast

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

What’s on

Enjoy the wide selection of events that are being held around the Central Coast

8. FOUR VILLAGES WALK

1. ELVIS: AN AMERICAN TRILOGY

CAR-LOVERS will be in heaven with the Central Coast Historic Car Club’s Heritage Day Car Show.

There will be historic and classic cars from 1911 Motel T Fords to Jaguar E Type coupes, and everything from 1930s nostalgia to mid-1980s Holdens, and even motorbikes and farm machinery. Enjoy the music of the Pink Cadillacs. At Memorial Park, The Entrance, from 9am to 3pm on Sunday, May 21.

IT’S on at Laycock Street Community Theatre from 8pm on Wednesday, April 26, celebrates Elvis through three different periods of his life. Vic Trevino Jnr brings to life the rockabilly sound and raw dance moves of the young Elvis, Gino Monopoli covers “the movie years” and Steve Michaels is Elvis in that infamous white jumpsuit of the 1970s. Adult tickets are $65. Call 4323 3233.

2. ALL THINGS ITALIAN

CELEBRATE all things Italian at the Central Coast Italian Festival at Ettalong Beach Tourist Resort from 9am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30. There’s food, wine, coffee, folk dancing, music, films and more, including Italian cars and bikes and fashions. But be warned, this is also a travel show, so you never

FOR the historians out there, the Four Villages Walk on Saturday, May 6, offers a moving insight into bygone days when the villages of Kincumber, Yattalunga, Saratoga and Davistown were the hub of shipbuilding. Cost is $5.

Go to https://four villageswalk.com.

9. CAR SHOW

JOURNALIST ALISON HOUSTON know where it might take you! Go to www.centralcoast italianfestival. com.

3. CENTRAL COAST REGIONAL SHOW

IT’S show time!

The Central Coast Regional Show is on April 29-30.

Previously the Gosford Regional Show, it will feature all the usual show favourites, including the ever-popular horse events, sideshow alley and showbags, along with a medieval combat display, grand concert organ, the Central Coast Historic Car Club display and fireworks.

Adult tickets are $10, with family tickets $25.

Go to www.centralcoast regionalshow. com.au.

CELEBRATE ITALY: The Central Coast Italian Festival at Ettalong showcases the best of Italian food, wine, music and more.

4. CULTURAL SHOWCASE

CULTURE comes alive in a Multicultural Showcase at The Art House, Wyong, on Saturday, April 29.

Artists will represent a range of cultures including indigenous Australia, India, Egypt, Hawaii, China, the Philippines, South America, Africa and Thailand. Shows are at 2pm and 6.30pm and tickets cost just $5-$8.

Tranquility. Enjoy the sculpture exhibit, a guest artist, music and delicious treats in a rainforest setting. Only offered on the last Sunday of the month from September to April, April 30 will be your last chance for a while to experience this unique day, except for a special Mother’s Day event. Group bookings are available for other days. Cost is $35.

Call Emilia on 0408 659 494.

6. GET YOUR 80S 5. HIGH TEA AND GEAR ON TREATS OKAY ’80s rockers, it’s TREAT yourself to something special with a high tea at the Forest of

time to get your party gear on with the return of the Narara Music Festival at

Mt Penang Gardens on Saturday, May 6.

It’s 33 years since the last event, and the 13-band line-up will each cover one of the songs by bands at the last gig, including Cold Chisel, The Angels, INXS and the Hoodoo Gurus. For details go to ticketbooth.com. au.

7. FAIRHAVEN AUTUMN FAYRE

IT PROMISES more than 40 stalls, antiques and collectables, food, music, and raffles for just a gold coin donation to help people on the Coast who live with a disability. It’s on Saturday, May 6 from 9am to 2pm.

10. CHARITY DOLL, BEAR AND CRAFT SHOW

THE annual show raises funds for cancer care services at Gosford and Wyong Hospitals, so why not grab the grandkids and see what you can find as the show turns 21. It’s on at Gosford High School from 9.30am to 3pm on Sunday, May 28, and costs adults $6 and children $2.

Call Janette Jones on 0439 387 267.

With a bit of help you can love the way you live COMBINING a range of practical and professional skills, Jenny Vile is offering hands-on solutions to vexing home problems with her professional organisational business, Love the Way You Live.

LTWYL’s team can declutter, organise, downsize and revitalise your home. "Our goal is to facilitate major changes in people’s lives to help them gain order, clarity and direction," Jenny said. "We can help retirees who are looking to downsize by offering them help reduce the stress and anxiety for any job small or large."

"Emotionally stressed family members dealing with ill parents or a

LIVING WELL: Love the Way You Live founder Jenny Vile

deceased estate can benefit from Jenny and her team’s professional services.

Declutter Jenny’s role is the mediator for someone

who has clutter, but needs help clearing away what they don’t need.

"I will bring with me my three big bins labelled "toss it", "keep it" and "donate it", "Jenny said.

PHOTO: DEAN RICHTER

"Then I take away the "toss it" and "donate it" bins, leaving nothing behind.

Downsizing It’s a similar process to decluttering, but takes

into account where the client is moving to and the layout of their new home. Jenny helps her clients plan how they can downsize from a home to a smaller unit or retirement accommodation.

"When our clients start planning their next destination, we begin the process of helping sort and declutter weeks or months prior to them being ready for the move," she said. "Part of our commitment to our clients is to help them through the process from start to finish with our packing and unpacking service, garage sale coordination, tradespersons and rubbish removal."

Prepare your home for sale Having worked in real estate, Jenny has an intimate knowledge about successfully presenting homes.

Decluttering is the first step, then she helps make a client’s home look and feel good for prospective buyers.

Scents, sounds, clutter-free surfaces and floors, lighting, location of key furniture items and street-front appeal are all elements Jenny considers when help to set up a home for sale.

For information, visit: lovethewayyoulive.net.au or call Jenny Vile on 0428 497 160 or 4322 6155.

ADVERTORIAL

puzzles

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

G E N E R A L K N O W L E D G E

1

2

3

4

5

Across 1 In advertisements, which drink was claimed to build strong muscles, feed exhausted nerves and enrich the blood? (8) 7 Which island in New York Harbour was an immigration centre? (5) 8 What type of book lists words with their synonyms? (9) 9 What is mixed with copper to make bronze? (3) 10 What are unsolicited bulk email messages? (4) 11 What coniferous trees form forests in the Arctic Circle? (6) 13 What Latin expression literally means “way of operating”? (5,8) 15 Where is the Brandenburg Gate? (6) 16 What does an ichthyologist study? (4) 18 Which town in eastern Belgium is a popular resort known for its baths and mineral springs? (3) 20 What is the treatment of the feet and their ailments? (9) 21 What suckered worm is used for bloodletting? (5) 22 What is an uncastrated male horse, especially one used for breeding? (8)

6

7 8 9 10

11 12

13

14

15

16

18

Central Coast

17

19 20

21

Down 1 Which Germanic people invaded parts of the Roman Empire from the 3rd to the 5th Century? (5) 2 Near which country were the “Cod Wars” fought in the late 1950s? (7) 3 What tide occurs at the first or last quarter of the moon? (4) 4 What hobbyist collects old bond and share certificates? (13) 5 Sir James Galway gained fame playing what? (5) 6 What long high sea wave is caused by an earthquake? (7) 7 What is the wide part of a river where it nears the sea? (7) 12 What is the world’s largest bird? (7) 13 What dark, sweet fortified dessert wine is produced in Sicily in a town with the same name?

(7) 14 Which city suffered from civil unrest in the 1990s because of opposition to Kenyan President Moi? (7) 15 What hard, ring-shaped bread roll is simmered before baking? (5) 17 Who composed his “Surprise” symphony in 1791? (5) 19 What is the loose hood of a monk’s habit? (4)

22

SUDOKU

QUICK CROSSWORD

Fill the grid so every column, every row and 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

1

2

3

4

6

5

7 8

9

ALPHAGRAMS

Insert the missing letters to make ten words — five reading across the grid and five reading down.

Solve the anagrams. Each solution is a one-word anagram of the letters beside it, and the five solutions are sequential.

For example, if the fiveletter solution starts with J, the six-letter solution starts with K, and so on.

R Z

11 12

13

16 17

18

19 20

N P

N

S

S

Note: more than one solution may be possible.

RANGE ADVERB BLUE ARC IDEAL END MEDITATES

SOLUTIONS

entire inert inter nitre rein rentier retie retire rewire rewrite REWRITTEN rite terrine tier tine tint tinter tire titre trier trine trite twin twine twiner twit weir wine winter wire wirer wrier writ write writer written

21

S N

15

D R

B

14

22/4

5x5

C

10

Seniors 21

22

WORD GO ROUND

R U S E S

E R U P T

D E N T S

Across: 6. Pairing 7. Crate 9. Beg 10. Bellicose 12. Front-runner 15.

Wear and tear 17. Ancestors 19. Mad 21. Retch 22. Bangers.

Down: 1. Lazed 2. Ire 3. Once 4. Draconian 5. Stashed 8. Claret 11.

Prurience 13. Ninety 14. Seances 16. Cairn 18. Rear 20. Ugh.

How many words of four letters or more can you make? Each letter must be used only once and all words must contain the centre letter. There is at least one nine-letter word.

No words starting with a capital are allowed, no plurals ending in s unless the word is also a verb.

TODAY: Good 17 Very Good 24 Excellent 33

QUICK CROSSWORD

ALPHAGRAMS: ANGER, BRAVED, CURABLE, DEADLINE, ESTIMATED.

T E

O Z O N E

433

E N

SUDOKU

5x5

C A B I N

I

WORD GO ROUND

GK CROSSWORD

R W

T R

Down 1. Idled (5) 2. Anger (3) 3. Formerly (4) 4. Harsh, severe (9) 5. Hidden away (7) 8. Red wine (6) 11. Lasciviousness (9) 13. Four score and ten (6) 14. Spiritual meetings (7) 16. Mound of stones (5) 18. Behind (4) 20. Expression of disgust (3)

Across: 1 Guinness, 7 Ellis, 8 Thesaurus, 9 Tin, 10 Spam, 11 Spruce, 13 Modus operandi, 15 Berlin, 16 Fish, 18 Spa, 20 Chiropody, 21 Leech, 22 Stallion.

Down: 1 Goths, 2 Iceland, 3 Neap, 4 Scripophilist, 5 Flute, 6 Tsunami, 7 Estuary, 12 Ostrich, 13 Marsala, 14 Nairobi, 15 Bagel, 17 Haydn, 19 Cowl.

Across 6. Duo (7) 7. Wooden box (5) 9. Plead (3) 10. Aggressive, warlike (9) 12. Favourite (5-6) 15. Deterioration from day-today use (4,3,4) 17. Forefathers (9) 19. Demented (3) 21. Vomit (5) 22. Old cars (colloq) (7)

To advertise, call 1300 136 181 or visit finda.com.au to view more ads online.

Motoring

Trades & Services

Cars

Kitchens

Tree Services

BEWARE OF SCAMS

KING KONG TREE & GARDEN SERVICES

Buyers and sellers should be cautious of possible scams when buying or selling a vehicle.

More information is available at scamwatch.gov.au

6546920aa

Be wary if the number in the ad is disconnected.

If the buyer/seller says the number is disconnected because they are overseas, ask for a landline phone number at their current location as well as a mobile phone number.

All contact details of the person buying or selling the car should be verified to ensure they are genuine.

Local, trusted and family owned.

We have absolute dedication to our customers and with over 20 years’ experience, we've become experts on building beautiful kitchens.

(02) 4323 2711 www.timtradkitchens.com.au

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Buyers should be cautious when dealing with car sellers that are overseas and should always arrange to view the vehicle prior to the transfer of any money.

All areas of Central Coast NSW, Fully licenced and insured arborist.

Quality guaranteed; all areas; Reliable prompt service, expert advice with competitive pricing

• Tree Removal / Block Clearing • Stump Grinding / Tree Stump Removal • Crown Thinning / Pruning / Wood Chipping; Mulch Supply • Dead Wooding /Storm Damage • Insurance Work / 24 HR Emergency Services

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Central Coast

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 23

Community HOW TO SUBMIT NOTICES

We look forward to publishing your notices with a photo of least 180dpi with faces in a nice and bright setting.

The deadline for the May issue is May 17.

Email Nicky or Chris at communitynotes@seniors newspaper.com.au

Pearl Beach celebrates 12 years of Scholarship Sponsorship. Pictured are last year’s junior participants with Dr John Irvine, Lynne Lillico and Central Coast Conservatorium director Patrick Brennan.

PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED

TOUKLEY SENIOR CITIZENS CENTRE ■ MEN’S ONLY LUNCHEON

JOHN Dooley has been a White Ribbon Ambassador since 2011. As a husband and father of two sons and two daughters, he is passionate about the responsibility that men have to stop violence against women. This Men’s Only Luncheon will be held on Friday, May 5 in the Toukley Senior Citizens Memorial Hall, 1 Pearce Avenue, Toukley 2263. Cost is $10pp.

Tickets available from reception. For catering purposes, tickets must be purchased by May 3.

Inquiries on 4396 5075.

■ ART SHOW AND ART SALE

ON SATURDAY, May 27 at 9am-3pm, the art class members of the Toukley Senior Citizens Club will be displaying their art.

On display will be paintings in oil, acrylics, watercolour, pastel as well as paper tole. Come along and see the wonderful work from our talented members in our art classes. Sandwiches, tea, coffee & devonshire teas will be on sale from the Canteen. Enquiries on 4396 5075.

IN BLOOM: Mingara Orchid club holds a free community event on the last weekend in June.

VIEW CLUBS

VIEW (Voice, Interests and Education of Women) is a proud partner of The Smith Family and supports their Learning for Life programmes which help children in need to participate more fully in their education.

■ BRISBANE WATER EVENING WE HOLD our monthly dinner meeting in the Function Room at the Grange Hotel, Renwick Street, Wyoming on the fourth Tuesday of the month - 6.30pm for 7pm.

New members and visitors are most welcome. Contact Valda on 4325 1688 or Helen on 4367 5670.

GALA VARIETY SHOW

TAP dancing classes are held for adults and seniors running at the East Gosford Progress Hall on the Central Coast.

Performances have since proved to be very popular around the Coast and we will be peforming at a fund-raising variety show for "Scholarships in Radiotherapy".

The Gala Variety Show show will be held at the Long Jetty Senior Citizens Centre, 6 Thompson St, Long Jetty and will feature Award Winning Comedian Al Showman.

The programme will also include popular vocalist and local music theatre star Simon Castle and will showcase the talents of "Betty Showtappers".

All ticket sales go to raising funds for Scholarships in Radiotherapy at the Central Coast Cancer Centre. The 2 hour performance begins at 2pm and tickets are $10 adults (includes Afternoon Tea).

Children under 12 years free. Bookings or details 4344 6492 or 4385 5485.

ANNUAL MINGARA ORCHID FAIR AND SHOW

MINGARA Orchid Club Inc. proudly presents the annual orchid fair and show providing a huge range of orchid vendors and a fabulous festival of exotic and native orchid displays. The event will be held at Mingara Recreation Club, Mingara Drive Tumbi Umbi There is plenty of parking, buses from Tuggerah railway station, and a spacious air conditioned venue that is welcoming no matter the weather conditions. All this and entry is free.

Buy orchids from trusted Australian and international vendors.

Members of the society will be on hand to provide information about orchids, growing conditions on the Central Coast and providing potting demonstrations throughout the fair and show weekend.

Bus tours receive

incentives of $50 vouchers for coaches over 30 and $25 vouchers for mini buses.

These can be redeemed at the many orchid and plant vendors enumerated above. The fair and Show will be open on Saturday, June 24 from 9am – 5pm and Sunday, June 25 from 9am – 3pm.

If you would like further information about this event you can download a brochure from facebook or www.gotoorchids.com Inquiries: mingaraorchidclub @gmail.com or phone Steve on 0411 149 499.

CENTRAL COAST CONSERVATORIUM

THE Pearl Beach Progress Association, and the Irvine Family extends an invitation to come and celebrate a weekend of music performed by students from the Central Coast Conservatorium.

■ Saturday, May 27 at 2pm

JUNIOR Students of the Central Coast Conservatorium will perform in a Showcase Concert. Dr John Irvine, whose family sponsor the Irvine Piano Scholarship and support young students says believes that Music is not only good for the soul and important for relaxation in the racy world kids live in, but recent research is showing the importance in cognitive development and memory skills. Entry to the concert is free, however a donation would be appreciated.

■ Sunday, May 28 at 2pm THE Pearl Beach Music Scholarship and Irvine Family Piano Scholarship Concert will once again search for the Central Coast's best young music students. Over the years the scholarship concerts have offered performance opportunity to students who have excelled in their chosen field.

Entry cost is $10 and children under 15 are free.

Both concerts at the Pearl Beach Memorial Hall, 9 Diamond Road.

For further information: Contact: Lynne Lillico, Pearl Beach Progress Association on 4344 2319.

Challenging Traditional Ageing Myth Busting In our May edition we invite your to join us in celebrating age disruptors, the people who are challenging traditional ageing stories.

We will interview Christine Danton, who is breaking the age barrier, still performing as a contortionist in her 70’s!

Pick up your free copy of the May edition at your local stockist or read online at seniorsnews.com.au News + LifestyLe + HeaLtH + traveL + fiNaNce + eNtertaiNmeNt

6513898ad

Join us as we show that age is simply a number.

24 Seniors Central Coast

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Have you planned ahead?

By planning ahead you remain in control of critical life decisions Book an appointment to make or update your Planning Ahead documents Specialist staff from our Newcastle branch regularly hold Planning Ahead Days where you can make or update your Will, Power of Attorney and Enduring Guardianship documents in the following Central Coast areas: • Erina • Gosford • Tuggerah Visit www.tag.nsw.gov.au/planahead or call 1300 721 827 to book an appointment.

Situations where you may want to update your Planning Ahead documents include: • marriage • separation or divorce • retirement • buying or selling a house • welcoming children or grandchildren into your family • a beneficiary or executor named in your Will has died

For further information contact NSW Trustee & Guardian Newcastle today on 1300 723 124 or email tagnewcastle@tag.nsw.gov.au