Mid North Coast November-December 2019

November-December 2019

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WELCOME

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

INDEX 3 4 6 10 12 14 21 27 28 32 33 35

News - Songs of love sung at Jetty News - Buy local at the market Profile Story - Christine Nixon News - Great friends go on tour Feature Story - Syd Kirkby Community group guide Wanderlust Feature - Top 3 Day Trips Wellbeing What’s on Money Puzzles

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Community news and local events

28

New age of fire concerns Gail Forrer Group Editor AS we prepare for publication, the news is full of the catastrophic bushfires that have caused devastation through much of the local area.

Over the years, many of us have seen or been through bushfires before, but these fires have a new narrative and we don’t know how our lives will have to change to accommodate the sort of climatic conditions that have fed these fires.

With so many lives, livelihoods and homes lost, the future feels unclear. Greg Mullins, former NSW fire and rescue commissioner, summed it up when he said Australia was in a “new age of unprecedented bushfire danger”. And so, I felt that, under the circumstances, the choice of NSW Senior Australian of the Year 2020, environmental educator and social enterprise founder Sue Lennox, was particularly apt.

As a teacher, Sue was concerned about young people’s anxiety and despair about the future of the planet.

So, with her late husband Colin, she founded the award-winning social enterprise OzGREEN (Global Rivers Environmental Education Network Australia Inc). It teaches young people how to take positive environmental action through education, participatory leadership and community development.

Sue’s initiatives with

OzGREEN include the Youth Leading the World program, a learning and leadership course that creates sustainable communities. She teaches people to become ‘citizen scientists’ and to act to improve the health of their waterways. Under Sue’s leadership, OzGREEN has developed sustainability programs in 1600 locations across Australia, India, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Pakistan. (See page 16 for other award winners).

In this edition, Sue Lennox is joined by other great community givers, including trailblazer and Australia’s first woman police commissioner Christine Nixon and Antarctica explorer Sydney Kirkby.

Naturally, the stories on these national figures are accompanied by plenty of local news – including personality profiles, markets, entertainment and community initiatives.

Take care, Gail

CONTACT US General Manager Geoff Crockett – 0413 988 333 geoff.crockett@news.com.au Editor Gail Forrer – 1300 880 265 gail.forrer@seniorsnewspaper.com.au Media Sales Executive Sue Germany – 0408 286 539 sue.germany@seniorsnewspaper.com.au 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 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 “Coffs Harbour and Clarence Seniors Newspaper”.

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Southern Phone in touch with seniors’ communication needs BRAND INSIGHTS SOUTHERN Phone’s phone-only solution for seniors is making waves in the industry.

Southern Phone’s unique phone-only solution for seniors, Next Home Phone, took out the Innovation-SME category

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Next Home Phone is the leading solution for seniors who want to keep their home phone and existing number in an NBN world that wants them to change.

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“The migration to NBN can be confronting for many and the change from a traditional home phone service to voice over IP even more so.

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NEWS

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Jetty launch for love songs The classic musical South Pacific is on stage

Tania Phillips IT HAS been eight years and almost 2000 kilometres since opera singer John Greene appeared in the musical South Pacific but he’s looking forward to treading the boards at the Jetty Theatre through November and December.

Marking the 70th anniversary of the first performance of the much-loved musical at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway in 1949, another much-loved entity, the Coffs Harbour Musical Comedy Company (CHMCC) is ready for some enchanted evenings (18 of them all up) at the Jetty.

New Zealand-born musical journeyman and funeral celebrant Greene moved to Coffs Harbour four years ago after visiting a relative in the area and falling in love.

But as much as looking after families in their time of need in the funeral industry has been his calling, so has music and so he was quick to join the CHMCC and equally as quick to join the cast of South Pacific and sing the iconic song One Enchanted Evening.

He already includes it in his repertoire for concerts.

John will play Emile, the middle-aged expatriate French plantation owner who falls in love with a young US Army nurse during World War II only to have her struggle to accept his mixed-race children.

“It’s the second time I’ve performed South Pacific,” he said.

“I did it eight years ago for the Metropolitan Opera in Adelaide, so when it came here I jumped at the chance to do it one more time.

“It (Emile) is one of the very few roles in a musical

that requires opera technique.”

South Pacific is based on several stories from James Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific and is one of the five enduring classics of the nine musicals on which Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II collaborated.

The original Broadway production received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and 10 Tony Awards.

For John it is another chance to tread the boards — something he has been doing for 50 years and has taken him around the world, including stints on the West End and performances with the Australian Opera Company.

John was involved in theatre in New Zealand, but crossed the Tasman to study at the Adelaide Conservatorium.

At the time, the Adelaide Festival Theatre

COMPLEX ROMANCE: John Greene and Ursula Kay as Emile and Nellie. was under construction and he was able to work both on stage and behind the scenes before going to London to further study opera.

In London, he landed a role in The Mikado on the West End and performed with the Welsh National Opera before coming back to Adelaide.

Hear John and the CHMCC in South Pacific at the Jetty Theatre, Coffs Harbour until December 1.

Info: jettytheatre.com.

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NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

Buy local at the market Dorrigo art, craft and business owners ready for Christmas Tania Phillips THERE is something special in the hills of Dorrigo and the locals wouldn’t have it any other way.

Local born and bred Patsy Green, who is currently handing over the reins as Dorrigo Chamber of Commerce president to Peter Mortimore, said the chamber was gearing up for its biggest fundraiser of the year.

According to Patsy, president of the chamber for the past four years, the Christmas Made in Dorrigo Street Market on Saturday, December 14, at Hickory St from 9am to 2pm, shows what makes Dorrigo such a special community.

Patsy said the event aimed to showcase local products, with everything sold there made, grown or produced exclusively on the Dorrigo Plateau.

“We have the Made in Dorrigo markets three times a year but

Christmas is the biggest, it brings more than 2000 visitors into the town and we have 55-57 stall holders – all from the Dorrigo Plateau,” she said.

“That is why it’s so special.”

Products available include organic skin care, leather craft, plants, goats’ milk soap, painted garden pots, preserves, jewellery, woodcraft, home baking, open pollinated seeds, art, honey, groovy clocks, eco-friendly soft toys and bags, cacti and succulents, art, homemade Christmas puddings, soya wax melts, native plants, handicrafts and so much more.

For the first time, Fiona from Iris and Elm floristry will have a range of posies, bouquets and wreaths available and there will be a jumping castle provided by Peter Gibson of Dorrigo IGA in Dorrigo Community Centre. Santa plans to arrive at the Community

FESTIVE FRIENDS: Patsy Green (far left) during her time as Dorrigo Chamber of Commerce president.

Colourful painted pots will be among the items for sale.

Centre at 11am.

The Dorrigo Rotary Club raffles off a load of locally sourced firewood to stock up for next winter while

food stalls and local cafes offer plenty of choice to satisfy hungry visitors and locals.

Local live music will add

atmosphere to the day. Mt St John primary school choir will be performing from 10.30am and students will be busking

during the day.

Patsy said the event had grown steadily since its inception in 2012 and was now the biggest of the chamber’s many initiatives for the business people and producers of the plateau.

She said there was something truly special about the town where she had been raised and where her kids and now grandchildren lived, and she had loved her time as chamber president and on the many committees she had been on in recent years.

Unfortunately, Patsy said work commitments in Coffs Harbour meant she had to curtail her committee work in Dorrigo “for now” but she remained passionate about her home town.

For more information about the Christmas market, visit the Made in Dorrigo Facebook page or go to dorrigo.com or phone Helen on 02 6657 5186. This event is an initiative of the Dorrigo Chamber of Commerce.

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PROFILE STORY

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

Trailblazer

Christine Nixon up for a challenge Tracey Johnstone

ANOTHER LIFE: Former police commissioner Christine Nixon has taken on fresh challenges in her retirement.

Photo: David Crosling

CHRISTINE Nixon is a woman of conviction who has stood in the line of fire in so many ways.

She’s an outstanding changemaker and leader with a deep sense of community who at age 66 is facing her own and her family’s realities of ageing.

Ms Nixon was the first woman in Australia to be appointed a police commissioner, taking on the role in Victoria in 2001 and holding it for eight years.

She climbed up through the ranks, never wavering from her belief that her gender was irrelevant in relation to her ability to be a leader... but the appointment still came as a surprise.

“I was shocked,” she said, having previously applied unsuccessfully for both the South Australia and the NSW police commissioner jobs.

“I figured I had a lot knowledge and skills,

experience and exposure.

My father was the one who encouraged me to think about Victoria.

“I never thought a NSW police officer would get to be the police commissioner in Victoria.

“It was very public, very high profile; it was a tricky job.”

And the support of her father wasn’t always there. When she decided to enter the NSW police force aged 19, it was against his will.

“In those days there were very few opportunities,” she said, with the job choices for women mainly secretarial, nursing or teaching.

“University was out of the question for many reasons,” she said. “I wasn’t really taken by the options and my father was a police officer. And I was tall enough, just.”

She had to wait several months before she was accepted in October 1972. In those days the NSW police had a quota of only 130 women.

There were many highs

and a few low points in her outstanding career.

“Few women are in high-profile roles, so you are very likely to attract a lot of attention and a lot of heat,” Ms Nixon said.

“Until we get to a point where a woman in a senior position is not anything unusual, and I think we are a long way from there, then you know you are going to get criticised. Part of it is knowing it’s going to happen. Sometimes you have stuffed it up and sometimes you are just being blamed.”

Working Monday to Friday has finally stopped for Ms Nixon after 38 years on the police force and 15 months working as Chair of the Victorian Bushfire Reconciliation and Recovery Authority.

But that doesn’t mean she has stopped working per se.

She took her own advice of thinking about what was going to happen next before she made the decision to leave the force.

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PROFILE STORY

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with much more to do ‘‘

... but I did know lots about people who are poor and need support “I decided I wanted to be involved in some not-for-profit organisations and I thought I would sit on some boards, perhaps for companies,” Ms Nixon said. “I also decided that I knew a lot about women’s leadership, and I wanted to encourage women to think about taking up management and leadership positions.”

Most recently, she completed the role of Chair of the national organisation Good Shepherd Microfinance, which she started in 2012.

The sisters of Good Shepherd of Australia and New Zealand wanted a much greater focus on their no-interest loans, and they asked Ms Nixon

Former Victorian police commissioner Christine Nixon reflects on the tragic Bourke Street attack, six months on.

Photo: Aaron Francis to set up the organisation and chair the board.

“I told them I didn’t know a lot about microfinance, but I did know lots about people who are poor and need support and shouldn’t be

exploited,” she said, with the organisation now providing about 30,000 loans a year.

“The loans are available to anyone across Australia who are pensioners,” she said

proudly.

Ms Nixon’s current roles are chair of Monash College in Melbourne and a councillor and deputy chancellor at Monash University. She also leads conversations on

women’s leadership as a result the Women Leading book she co-wrote with Professor Amanda Sinclair and presents to conferences and events on organisational change.

She has about 18 months to go on current commitments and then will turn her focus back to advocating for reducing violence against women.

“While I was in the police, I spent a lot of time working with community organisations about family violence,” she said. “I am also a patron of Family Violence Centre and I am on the university advisory group.”

Ms Nixon’s life is anything but ordinary, yet the way she has coped with the stresses of life in the past and present is not dissimilar to many of us.

In Sydney, her ageing father of 92 is steadfastly still living at home since losing his wife to dementia three years ago.

Ms Nixon’s brother lives nearby, and she talks to her father daily and visits often.

“You have to do some thinking about the future

but certainly I know a vast amount of people finish up dying in their own homes, not in a nursing home,” she said.

Her life at home in a country town outside of Melbourne is happily filled with mosaics, painting and drawing.

The backyard has two sheds: one for her creative work and another for her husband John Becquet’s work on technology interests.

“What has driven us where we are now is a need for a community around us,” she said.

It’s giving her the chance to become reconnected to people, something she really values.

Ms Nixon recognises we are all living in a state of flux but that doesn’t mean that people like herself can’t still effect positive change.

She has chosen not to go down the politics pathway, but instead use her leadership skills and community awareness to help create positive change elsewhere during what she calls the next phase of her life.

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NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

Community carols for all A wonderful chance to enjoy Christmas spirit

Tania Phillips

COUNCIL CONTRIBUTION: Coffs Harbour Mayor Denise Knight is preparing for the annual Coffs Coast Carols by Candlelight.

Photo: Frank Redward

COFFS Harbour Mayor Denise Knight believes the upcoming Coffs Coast Carols by Candlelight is the perfect night for newly arrived retirees to come along and get into the spirit of their new community.

The carols, to be held on December 14 from 6pm at Brelsford Park in the heart of the city, is a night of song, entertainment, food, fireworks and fun.

However, it is an event that was almost lost to the town.

“We always used to have carols as an annual event and then it stopped, not sure why – that was before my time as mayor,” Ms Knight said.

However when she came into office she said it was decided to bring them back and now the

council contributes to carols at Woolgoolga, Sawtell and the Coffs events and she hoped that future mayors would continue to support and endorse.

‘‘

A true community event with all the performers giving up their time free of charge

Ms Knight said the carols, which she co-hosts each year with a DJ or local personality, is

a true community event with all the performers giving up their time free of charge to take part, and often that meant big names too.

“One year we managed to get Jack Thompson who came and recited bush poetry.

“Jon English performed another year, just a few months before he died, of course he did Jesus Christ Superstar and he brought the house down,” she said.

And as a community event with plenty of kids (and a visit from Santa) Ms Knight said it was also alcohol-free but there would be plenty of food available including a sausage sizzle which is run by local Rotary or Lions each year.

The Mayor invited people to “bring a blanket or a chair (a low one)” and a picnic and enjoy the night together as a community.

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THEY are two of the stalwarts of the Port Macquarie business community but just because they haven’t retired doesn’t mean John and Fae Bell aren’t taking time to smell the roses, or in this case, pine trees.

The duo behind Bells Furniture One Port Macquarie headed to Canada earlier this year with 20 other Port locals on a trip hosted by Leanne of Port Macquarie Travel, taking in the Rocky Mountaineer, Lake Louise. the Calgary Stampede and an Alaskan cruise.

It was a trip Fae said had been on their “bucket list” for quite a while and one that has definitely whetted their appetite for further travel (along with a trip to Europe two years ago).

“Next year they are talking about Memphis — my husband was in a band for a long time — so we’d like to go,” Fae said.

It is all part of enjoying life more now they are in their 70s, which has included not working Sundays in recent years and spending more time

John and Fae Bell taking in the vast beauty of Canada. with their grandchildren.

And it’s obvious they’ve earned it after 52 years in the carpet and furniture business in Port, starting when the town had a population of 5000, not the almost 50,000 it has now.

“I was 20 and John was 24 when we started the business,” Fae reminisced.

“We started in the September and got married in the January.”

The business started in

Horton St before moving out to the industrial estate in 1987, and along the way the family business also extended with son Steve and daughter Melinda also part of the team.

And while lots of competitors have moved into the area since they started their business in 1967, Fae said there was a simple reason for their longevity — staying on trend with the latest colours and fashions.

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FEATURE STORY

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

‘Yes’ to a life of huge challenges

IMMENSITY: The vastness of the Antarctic made Syd Kirkby feel small as he set out with his dogs, sledges and two comrades. Photo:

Courtesy of Syd Kirkby.

Legendary surveyor’s awesome achievements Alison Houston

lot “as a 22-year-old kid” working with former Second World War servicemen including Battle of Britain veterans during his first winter in Antarctica.

“They knew themselves, and they knew about bravery and honour and comradeship,” he said.

“To run like billy-oh trying to keep up with those men and then realise after a few months that they treated you just like one of them was pretty heady stuff … mind you, you’re not like them at all.”

However, Syd had fought his own battles to be there. He overcame childhood polio and being told he would never walk again through his own determination and his father’s dedication and gruelling exercise regime.

Syd described the comradeship between sledgers as “probably closer than most family relationships”, because so much time was spent in complete dependence on each other, traversing terrain knowing that “no feet have ever been where your feet are”.

Working with the sledge dogs, which he described as “wonderful and beautiful animals”, he said was also a privilege, although “a fairly sweaty and hardworking privilege”.

However, he admitted it was also a gruesome

Syd Kirkby in the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Photo: Courtesy of USC activity.

“It was dirty, filthy, brutal, and often a death sentence for the dogs, but it worked at a time and place when nothing else would,” he said.

Although in his earliest expeditions about 85 per

Award-winning portrait of Syd Kirkby by Tom Macbeth.

Photo: Courtesy of

cent of Antarctica was unexplored, Syd does not see himself as an adventurer, with the label “explorer” sitting more comfortably with him.

“An adventurer is someone who does things for the gratification of the

Tom Macbeth

thrill; I and the people I worked with are some of the most rational people on Earth – you have to be to survive,” he said.

But having worked in both Antarctica and, at the other extreme, in the Great Sandy Desert with 6737540aa

THE universal reaction to first experiencing Antarctica is “awe and wonder”, according to one of the country’s trailblazers, Syd Kirkby AO MBE. The 86-year-old retired surveyor, recognised by the Australian Museum as one of our 50 greatest explorers and by The Australian newspaper as one of our 10 greatest adventurers, said he had seen people “actually incapacitated by awe, they were just so overwhelmed by the grandeur, scale and magnificence”.

And despite wintering (1956-57, 1960-61 and 1979-81) and summering there (1961-62, 1962-63 and 1964-65 and 1979-80) as part of Australia’s Antarctic program, undertaking extensive sledging journeys for exploration and mapping, and returning in later years with tourists, he said Antarctica remained fascinating and incomparable.

Syd is recorded as having explored and mapped more of the Australian Antarctic Territory than anyone else – much of it by dogsled in temperatures to minus 70 degrees Celsius.

He established the most easterly, westerly and southerly astrofixes in the Australian Antarctic

Territory and with two comrades became the first and only people to explore the Prince Charles Mountains on the ground more than 60 years ago.

While he has not personally noticed any climate-related environmental changes over the years in Antarctica, he said “it behoves us to treat the planet with complete circumspection and care because that is the right thing to do” rather than continuing with our “profligate and careless use of resources”.

Living on the edge Syd said he had never felt any enmity or opposition from the continent, as some people articulated, but it was certainly not an environment to be taken lightly.

He recalled winds so strong they had picked up and blown a cable-tied DC3 plane over 12km, and spending months in a 2m x 1.5m tent, hundreds of miles from Mawson station, with just a handful of dogs and two comrades, knowing that a simple tear in the fabric could mean they perished.

“Knowing there is no salvation except as a result of your efforts and those of your two comrades is a very privileged feeling,” he said, comparing it to the bond of fellow soldiers or those united by natural disaster.

He said he had learnt a

PHONE 02 6653 1577 EMAIL: info@sawtellrsl.com.au ADDRESS: 38-40 First Avenue Sawtell

Waves Café:

Open from 10am till late each day

SENIORS \\NOVEMBER, 2019

FEATURE STORY

13

A long sea voyage on very rough seas in a small ship meant not being sick was a major preoccupation for about 10 days journeying to Antarctica, Syd Kirkby said.

Photo:

Courtesy of Syd Kirkby.

‘‘

I have practically never seen anyone not ennobled by Antarctica and Antarctic service

“I have practically never seen anyone not ennobled

by Antarctica and Antarctic service,” Syd said.

“It demands a great deal of you and you step up to that – you look at your comrades as giants,

Syd Kirkby said he did not see himself as an adventurer but an explorer.

Photo: Courtesy of Australian Museum territory covers nearly 5.9 million sq km, about 42 per cent of Antarctica and 80 per cent of the total area of Australia itself – as Syd said, “a serious bit of real estate”.

However, what he marvels at is that Australia gained this land at a time when we still only existed as a colony.

He regards the 1959

Antarctic Treaty as “remarkable”, its essence contained in a few short lines in Clause 4, which states that no unilateral action by any power will affect existing territorial claims.

That ensures there can be no “territorial ructions” or power plays, as feared in the Cold War days and just as likely during

7026570ah

some of the last Aborigines living completely traditional tribal lifestyles in the 1950s, he said: “I have certainly been blessed to work in wondrous places”.

Places which bring out the best in people.

and they are tough as goats’ knees yet as concerned as any mother.”

He recalled his team running beside or behind the sledge typically 20 nautical miles (38km) a day – on one memorable occasion covering 67 nautical miles (123km) because they were heading home.

■ The Antarctic Treaty and Honours Syd spoke to Seniors newspapers prior to a lecture on The Getting of Australian Antarctica at the University of the Sunshine Coast in association with Royal Geographical Society of Queensland.

Australia’s Antarctic

today’s political turmoil, to put the land or the scientific work carried out there in peril.

And for Syd, that is paramount.

“I’m intensely aware of my good fortune … It’s been a great life,” he said, adding a salute to the wives and families who had made it possible for all those who worked in Antarctica “doing these hair-brained and immensely dangerous things” at a time when it was very unusual for women to have to cope with raising a family on their own.

“And the majority did it bloody brilliantly,” he said.

They and all his fellow comrades and mentors, he said, stand beside him every time he talks about or accepts an award for his work in Antarctica.

Syd has been honoured with a number of Antarctic landmarks in his name – Mount Kirkby, Kirkby Glacier, Kirkby Shoal and Kirkby Head – and following the Polar Medal (1958) and his MBE (1966), was awarded in 2018 both an Order of Australia Medal and the Australian Geographic Society’s highest honour

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COMMUNITY

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

Community notes

RTO ID: 90834

TECH SAVVY SENIORS

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Are you over 60 & need assistance with technology? ENROL TODAY. *Intro to iPads & iPhones / Android Tablets & Phones *Sharing photos & attachments online *Intro to Computers *Intro to Internet *Intro to Email *Online Shopping *Social Media *Online Banking *Cyber Safety *Internet Security Session Duration: 2 hours Cost: $10 per session per person Contact for Program or to Register:

(02) 6652 5378

SIMPLE & SINCERE FUNERALS ALLIED FUNERAL HOME and Lady Cameo Funerals affordable and dignified funerals secure funeral plans available

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a large variety of timber and environmentally friendly cardboard coffins

124 West High Street, Coffs Harbour

Community group guide

BOOK A MAMMOGRAM TODAY

WE welcome your news. If you would like to share your club’s news, date claimers and pictures with our readers, please email us at: editor@seniorsnewspaper.com.au. Thanks, Gail (Ed.)

IMPORTANT NOTICE

admin@coffscollege.nsw.edu.au

6651 2363 or 6651 4155

Toowoomba in August, will go on sale at November meeting.

In new year, all usual regular and special activities will be held.

Information on activities, trips, and membership inquiries can be made with Publicity Officer, Sandra, on 02 6642 7720.

THE NSW Government is committed to protecting seniors from online fraudulent activity.

We have been notified that there is an unauthorised Seniors Card website charging a fee for a NSW Seniors Card.

The NSW Government is working closely with other State Government agencies to ensure the protection of seniors.

Applying for a Seniors Card is free.

Individuals wanting to apply for a NSW Seniors Card or NSW Senior Savers Card, should go to seniorscard.nsw.gov.au.

GRAFTON SENIOR

CITIZENS INC.

WE HAVE continued our activities but year is now drawing to a close.

A recent bus trip to Yamba, then a luncheon river cruise, was enjoyed by over 50 members.

Final bus trip for year will be a picnic at Mylestom, followed by annual Christmas luncheon 2 weeks later.

There will be a break of about four weeks from mid December, with no meeting in January.

Activities will resume late January, with first bus trip for new year on 28 Feb, to a Coorabell garden, followed by a visit to Ballina Maritime museum.

An 8-day tour to Moree, St George, Cunnamulla, Charleville, Roma, Miles,

BREASTSCREEN NSW is encouraging women to get together with a friend to book a mammogram during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to boost screening rates and save lives.

More than one in eight women in NSW will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, but almost half of women aged 50-74 are not getting their recommended two yearly mammograms.

Figures from the Cancer Institute NSW show that on the Mid North Coast 217 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year alone.

An appointment with BreastScreen NSW is free and takes about 20 minutes in total. In addition to 46 BreastScreen sites, BreastScreen NSW has 16 mobile vans that

provide services to about 180 locations across NSW, including rural and remote areas.

To book a mammogram today with BreastScreen NSW, phone 13 20 50.

You can search for your nearest BreastScreen NSW service or book online, go to book.breast screen.nsw.gov.au.

BreastScreen NSW is located at the Mid North Coast Cancer Institute at Coffs Harbour Health Campus and at Port Macquarie Base Hospital.

The mobile unit will be at South West Rocks from November 18 to December 9.

PROBUS CLUBS

Coffs City WE ADVISE that our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 27, at the Cavanbah Centre, Harbour Drive Coffs Harbour at 9.45am for 10am.

The guests will be the Marion Grove Ukelele Group.

Morning tea will follow the ukelele group. This club is a friendly mixed gender club and visitors and new members are always welcome.

For further information, phone Brian on 02 5619 2484.

VIEW CLUBS Grafton

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SENIORS \\NOVEMBER, 2019 EVERYONE loves a birthday party! Ninety-one guests joined to celebrate VIEW’s 52 years in Grafton. Together, friendship was extended with the simple, but rewarding, pleasure of sharing a tasty meal at the Grafton District Services Club. At the same time a child’s education was ultimately supported in breaking the cycle of disadvantage.

Now that, in itself, is a celebration! At the birthday luncheon, Val Chalker, Past National Counsellor, presented Helen Cashel with her 20 years membership badge.

The Jacaranda Party arrived to partake in greeting all a Happy 52nd birthday.

There were many Tombola prizes distributed to gleeful winners, as well as lucky door prizes.

The main raffle had amazing prizes, such as a microwave oven, alabaster clock, jewellery & a lot more. The prizes went to the following winners. Belinda Steele; Joy Ford; Barbara Franks; Ailsa Moran; Elaine Stephenson; Mary Reynolds; Helen Payne; Colleen Ross; Heather Hughes; Von Rodgers; Cheryl Shepherd. GDSC vouchers went to Joyce Campbell; Sandra

COMMUNITY

15

Simpson; Arthur Bernard, & Pat Connelly.

Congratulations!

VIEW has so much to offer, so why not come along to our next meeting in 2020.

You will make new friends, & renew the old ones. The most important point is that you will be supporting, & making a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children.

The first meeting in 2020 will be held on Tuesday, February 25.

Please make the decision to come along and phone Vorna on 02 6642 4719 for catering purposes.

TECH SAVVY SENIORS

TECH Savvy Seniors has returned to Coffs Coast Community College as there is plenty more to learn about all things technical.

In our experience, the most frequent request for help is learning how to use mobile technology.

Smartphones and tablets are forever changing and as more and more features are added to devices, it is harder to find and access what is needed to stay connected.

Being connected can be vital for our Seniors to access essential services on a daily basis.

HONOURED: Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh with (from left) Barry Moon, his wife Eleanor and daughter Carolyn, and Philip Hughes and his wife Valerie.

Many believe that there is still a digital divide, with older generations feeling excluded as services and agencies shift access to online service.

Many of our older members of our community need to bridge this divide to manage their health, finances and family and social connections.

The team at Coffs Coast Community College hold solutions for those

wishing to hone their skills in mobile technology.

New workshops have been scheduled for November and December – just in time for the end of year celebrations.

Drop in and pick up a schedule or contact us at the Coffs Coast Community College on 02 6652 5378, email admin@coffscollege.nsw. edu.au or go to coffscollege.nsw.edu.au/

course/tech-savvyseniors-programme/.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO JPS

MEMBER for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh congratulated Philip Hughes and Barry Moon for their 50 years of service to our community as Justices of the Peace.

“Philip and Barry are among the state’s longest-serving JPs who

have donated countless hours to helping local people,” Mr Singh said.

“Just about everyone needs a JP at some point in their life – such as when they buy a house or access their superannuation – and these two men have always been happy to lend a hand.

Mr Singh said that Philip and Barry, who live on the Coffs Coast, are among 260 NSW JPs

16

COMMUNITY

celebrating their Golden Jubilee of service “During the 50 years they’ve been witnessing documents, they’ve also witnessed profound social changes and advances in technology.

Mr Singh said the NSW online register of Justices of the Peace has been upgraded to make finding a local JP faster and more convenient than ever.

JPs act as independent witnesses to documents people need for a variety of purposes.

Their main functions are to witness affidavits and statutory declarations, and they may also certify copies of original documents. JPs provide their services on a voluntary basis.

JPs info: go to jp.nsw.gov.au

MULTICULTURAL PROJECTS

GRANT funding worth $600,000 is now available for multicultural projects in NSW, said Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh and acting Minister for Multiculturalism, Geoff Lee. Mr Lee said grants of up to $40,000 were available for 12-month projects.

The NSW Government’s Celebrating Diversity Grants for projects have

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS previously supported multicultural youth engagement programs, seniors, refugee projects and volunteering programs.

This round of grants is running from March 1 2020 to February 28, 2021.

Applications will close at 5pm, December 6.

For more go to multicultural.nsw.gov.au /grants.

FREE LEGAL HELP

VULNERABLE residents in the Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Nambucca areas needing free help with legal problems will benefit from a new free legal service.

“I’m delighted more than $860,000 has been allocated to the Mid North Coast CLC to expand their services into Coffs Harbour and beyond,” Mr Singh said.

Eligible applicants must meet the criteria which includes having their own home in a selected region, having a valid Pensioner Concession Card or a Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card, and opting out of the Low Income Household Rebate for 10 years.

Go to energysaver. nsw.gov.au.

PRETTY IN PURPLE: Grafton VIEW club members Val Chalker, Faye Stone and Helen Cashel cut their 52nd birthday cake. The cake was made by VIEW member Norma Merlino.

TE

LL

CA

Sawtell Catholic Care acknowledges the findings delivered in the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality & Safety Interim Report. The report identifies the cruel neglect experienced by many in the current aged care system, and the cultural ageism that undermines respect for our seniors, especially when they develop frailty and care needs in later life, and society automatically discounts their capacity for ongoing contribution and value to society or their community.

SAW

Dear community members,

Save lives and buy a diary

RE

Hello from Sawtell Catholic Care CATHOL

IC

about LIVING

WELL

Clearly the sector has much work to do to restore the quality of care and the trust of the Australian public. Government, the Quality and Safety Commission, and the aged care providers all need to work more closely together to ensure the best outcomes for care recipients and consumers of services.

In the midst of this sad and frustrating portrayal of poor care and neglect being highlighted by the Royal Commission, Sawtell Catholic Care would like to publicly acknowledge the wonderful care, dedication and loyalty of our staff.

We also wish to thank the many people, including residents and families, that have acknowledged and encouraged our staff during this time.

“We Care” is our vision of an inclusive community of Christian care, striving to deliver the high quality care that upholds the dignity of older people.

Michael Darragh CEO

Michael Darragh CEO Sawtell Catholic Care

To learn more visit us at www.scca.net.au Marian Grove

Mater Christi

P (02) 6653 1241

P (02) 6658 6133

L I F E S T Y L E

RESIDENTIAL

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Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful Christmas Season.

WITH National Breast Cancer Awareness Month coming to an end next week, now is the time to help save lives by supporting the 2020 Australian Women’s Health Diary.

The diary has become a much-loved addition to the lives of many thousands of women and last year raised $950,000. All proceeds support breast cancer trials research that is identifying new treatments and prevention strategies research that could one day save your life or the life of someone you love.

Deaths from breast cancer have fallen 30 per cent over the past 20 years which is largely due to new treatments like herceptin, exemestane, letrozole and tamoxifen identified through the Breast Cancer Trials research program. This diary is truly saving lives.

But we still have a long way to go. Every day in Australia, 53 people are diagnosed with breast cancer and they begin a journey which not only

FUNDRAISER: Australian Women's Health Diary. affects them but will impact their family and friends. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia and the number of people diagnosed is increasing. Continued research is needed to ensure every person gets the treatment they need to survive.

Lisa Wilkinson, The Project Co-Host and proud ambassador of the diary said: “The researchers at Breast Cancer Trials are working tirelessly, nationally and globally, to give more people access to breast cancer clinical trials and to prove the new treatments needed to

save every life, from every type of breast cancer.

For over 40 years, Breast Cancer Trials has been leading the way in saving the lives of women diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia and throughout the world.

Their significant breakthroughs have been possible thanks to the Australian Women’s Health Diary and the support of the many Australians who buy the diary.

Priced at $18.95.

Available from Post offices, newsagents, Woolworths or womens healthdiary.com.au.

SENIORS \\NOVEMBER, 2019

NEWS

WE CARE

We specialise in community care We provide professional, tailored, well planned and personalised supports and services to people of all ages and abilities in your home and your community.

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Aged, have a disability, a carer?

Come and talk to us about how we can assist you.

Please call – 02 6650 2000 www.cco.net.au • admin@cco.net.au

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NEWS

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

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NEWS

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

More local news.

Now easier to read.

From next month, you’ll notice our new, easier-to-read size. Even though we’re changing the size of the paper, we’ll continue to bring you more of the local stories that matter. With our new look and feel, and more local news than ever before, we’re fitting more of the news you care about into a handier size.

We’re excited about the changes coming. It’s all part of our commitment to covering the news that matters and our mission to make your favourite papers even better.

SENIORS \\NOVEMBER, 2019

Going Dutch pays off Riding high in Amsterdam

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NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

Travel options for you

NATURE’S BLISS IN KARUIZAWA

LOCATED just 90 minutes by train from Tokyo is the mountainside resort Hoshinoya Karuizawa. Be enchanted by the crisp, clean air and the soft sounds of the surrounding forest. It is rich in greenery and life, and the Picchio Wildlife Research Center (located next door) runs numerous nature walks and tours for you to spot some magnificent bird species.

Onsen in Japan is appreciated for its therapeutic value.

You can melt away your worries at two onsens located on the premises.

At the foot of the mountain is Tombu no yu, where you can relax in both an indoor and open-air bath while taking in the spectacular view.

As night falls, you can hear the clatter of guests donning their yukata and geta clogs, making their way for a soak in the meditation bath — a peaceful and spiritual experience where you can sharpen your senses. A limited offer is available for three-night stays from October to December.

Info: hoshinoya.com/ karuizawa/en.

FLINDERS RANGES TOUR

FLINDERS Ranges Odysseys has launched a new three-day Flinders Ranges Outback Tour beginning April 3, 2020.

This twice-weekly tour offers exclusive accommodation and

incredible food and wine, all while discovering the spectacular and rugged scenery of Wilpena Pound and the magnificent Flinders Ranges.

Departing from Adelaide, guests will explore the 540 million-year-old Flinders Ranges in air-conditioned Mercedes Benz vehicles, in small, intimate groups of up to eight and accompanied by a local tour guide. Cost starts at $2242 per person, twin share and includes all accommodation, meals, morning pick-up and evening set-down at selected Adelaide CBD hotels, personalised touring, expert commentary from a local driver/guide, all entrance fees, special permits and all activities.

Info: kangarooislandodysseys .com.au.

JAPAN BLISS: Hoshinoya Karuizawa's rice terrace.

Wiru Tjuta Nyakutjaku, or “looking at lots of beautiful lights” in local Pitjantjatjara, is made up of more than 50,000 slender stems crowned with radiant frosted-glass spheres over an area the size of nine football fields.

Each evening, guests enjoy the Field of Light Uluru and each morning before sunrise, AAT Kings operates Field of Light Sunrise. Info: ayersrockresort.com.au/ fieldoflight.

MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW

IMAGINE a Coach Tour that combines the history and culture of Melbourne with the spectacular scenic beauty of the Dandenong Ranges and the Great Ocean Road.

This is Coastal Variety Tours 13-day trip to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden show which departs March 21, 2020, including home pick-ups from the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Gold Coast. This tour will take you via the Pacific Hwy to Coffs

MORE TOURS IN JANE GOODALL COLLECTION

Hoshinoya Karuizawa's Mizunami Room in summer.

Harbour, Sydney, NSW south coast, Bega and Lakes Entrance, arriving at Melbourne for the Southern Hemisphere’s largest and most-loved horticultural event – the international flower and garden show.

Your Melbourne tour is

not complete without experiencing the beautiful mountain scenery while travelling aboard the Puffing Billy Stream Train and spectacular Great Ocean Road.

There’s more to this tour and it’s well worth discovering for yourself by

phoning Coastal Variety Tours for the full itinerary on 07 33436722

FIELD OF LIGHT EXTENDED

THE Field of Light at Uluru has been extended indefinitely.

The exhibition called Tili

G ADVENTURES has added its Dr Jane Goodall-endorsed collection of wildlife-focused tours for 2020 with 12 more adventures in Indonesia, Botswana, Belize, north-west USA, mainland Ecuador, the Arctic and Antarctic, and other destinations.

Info: gadventures.com.au/ jane-goodall.

How does your grandchild’s school compare?

An exclusive education series every grandparent must read.

To find out more visit education.news.com.au THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO DECIDE YOUR CHILD’S FUTURE

23

SENIORS \\NOVEMBER, 2019

Great days of rail travel

A train lover buys and renovates unused trains Tania Phillips THERE is something romantic and nostalgic about overnight train journeys – the chance to unpack once and just sit back and enjoy the sound of the train and the sights out the window.

For many of us over 50 it takes us back to the days of summer holidays and school trips when getting anywhere without being crammed into the back of the Holden station wagon meant getting on the train.

And for those growing up in the southern states, that meant taking the glorious old Southern Aurora – something you can do again thanks to the Vintage Rail Journeys company.

According to company CEO and self-confessed train lover Simon Mitchell, the Southern Aurora sleeping carriages have been restored to their sparkling 1960s condition and reinstated back into service under the new name of Aurora Australis.

“We have kept the carriages in as close to original condition as we could,” Simon said.

“Mid-century vintage is very ‘on trend’ right now and as custodians we are proud to be able to maintain the heritage of these carriages.”

While the company has, where possible, kept the vinyl wallpaper along with features such as the original light fittings, there has been some modernisation.

“However, we have updated the share bathrooms in the single compartment carriages, removed ashtrays and added modern

conveniences such as USB sockets,” Simon said.

The Southern Aurora provided an overnight shuttle service from Sydney to Melbourne (and return) until the mid-1980s. Considered first class in its day, the Southern Aurora provided air-conditioned luxury to its passengers.

Simon himself had been a passenger in the carriages in the past, joining train trips run by the Canberra Railway Museum, so when the Australian Railway Historical Society (ACT) went into receivership he knew he had to do something to return them to service.

“I have always been interested in trains and rail heritage,” he said, “and I felt strongly that we needed to put the Southern Aurora train back together and allow people to enjoy travelling on her again.”

The trains are now back on the tracks, with the company developing a Golden West Trail Tour which does a loop that transports passengers from Sydney and takes in the Hunter, Dubbo, Orange, Werris Creek and the Blue Mountains, mainly aimed at those of us who still remember what it was like to ride this iconic train or wished we had.

“We have found that the over-55s have a real nostalgia for train travel,” Simon said. “In the 1960s, the Southern Aurora was a first-class train used by travellers to go from Sydney to Melbourne and back.

“At the time, travelling on the train was aspirational and in talking with passengers for our

VINTAGE RESTORATION: A chance to enjoy the nostalgia of train-travel.

Photo: RailGallery.com.au (C)

‘‘

Mid-century vintage is very ‘on trend’ right now The Southern Aurora - now renamed Aurora Australis.

Photo: RailGallery.com.au (C)

rail tours, the train is still held in high regard.”

The first Golden West Trail Tour set for April 1-5 next year sold out within three months and tickets for September 9-13 are

now selling well.

“We have developed the Golden West Rail Tour mainly for the over-55s – it is an iconic five-day and four-night itinerary over 1500km that we think

everyone will enjoy,” Simon said.

“Starting in the heart of Sydney, we have off-train experiences that include the always popular Riverboat Postman and

also some out of the way places in NSW that you may not have experienced before.”

For further information and a full itinerary: Go to: vintagerailjourneys .com.au to book or call 1300 421 422.

Enjoy this festive season on coach tour with fellow travellers IF you live in Port Macquarie, Nambucca Heads or Coffs Harbour and circumstances have it that you may have to be alone for Christmas, then you are meant to be reading this story.

Local travel company, Holiday Coast Tours, is hosting a four-day Christmas coach tour to the Gold Coast for like-minded Seniors.

“You won’t have to worry about a thing, just jump on board our comfortable

air-conditioned coach,” Holiday Coast Tours say.

“Sit back, relax and enjoy a scenic coastal drive to your temporary home at a comfortable motel in Mermaid Waters on the Gold Coast.

“On day two you will enjoy the spectacular Hinterlands of Mount Tamborine.

“Day three you will spend a memorable Christmas day with your new friends. Christmas lunch will be enjoyed at a hotel with all the

‘‘

Holiday Coast Tours, is hosting a four-day Christmas coach tour to the Gold Coast for like-minded Seniors. trimmings.

“Day four – it’s all aboard Tweed Endeavour

Cruises to experience the spectacular natural beauty of the Tweed River

with have a stopover in historical Tumbulgum village where you can stroll in art galleries and boutique shops.”

The trip home includes a visit to the Margaret Olley Arts Centre and a stop in Grafton for lunch.

The company notes that all itineraries are subject to change due to occasional restrictions in opening times/days of some attractions.

IN SUMMARY THE

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS TOUR INCLUDES: ■ 4 nights motel accommodation ■ 4 cooked motel breakfasts ■ 3 dinners ■ 1 supper in motel ■ and 5 included lunches For pricing and more information contact Anne-Marie on 02 65838669 or visit: www.holidaycoasttours. com.au

24

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

Rare view... Rembrandt is among the famous Dutch painters whose work is on display at Museum Square.

Bikes, bikes and more bikes. Special storage areas are available to the thousands of commuters.

BLOOMING LOVELY: The canals are pretty enough in their own right, but the frequent floral touches just add another level of beauty to Amsterdam.

It’s time to get on your bike to start exploring Graeme Wilson BIKES and bongs…these are my lasting impressions of Amsterdam.

Oh, and windmills. And canals. And art.

It’s taken me 60 years to navigate my way to the city of tulips, but it was well worth the wait.

As a regular recreational cyclist, this city is made for me.

Everywhere you go you’re surrounded by bikes of all shapes and sizes, and their proliferation seems to mean power to the pedallers.

So none of the road rage associated with venturing out on Australian roads, where so often it’s an angry car v bike showdown.

Live and let live seems to be the Dutch motto, and that suits me just fine.

A leisurely pedal out to the historic windmill

Water features everywhere around Amsterdam... here it leaps skywards outside the Rijksmuseum.

The traditional wooden shoes (clogs/klompen) are an important part of Dutch heritage and are still worn in rural areas today.

village of Zaanse Schans (see Wanderlust cover) was a highlight of my three-night Amsterdam adventure.

No helmet required, so it was a ride on the wild side with the wind in what

All your senses are alive in Amsterdam, but your nasal passages in particular certainly get a workout as you wander along the winding canals and alluring laneways.

I’m not one to partake

little remains of my hair.

My normally dormant arty side also came alive in Amsterdam, with a visit to the Van Gogh museum providing a great insight into this master of the easel.

in such things, but the distinctive aroma of cannabis is a regular reminder of the relaxed drug laws here.

Perhaps fortunately, these accompanying pictures aren’t scratch

and smell, but hopefully they paint many thousand words of praise.

If you ever get the chance to visit this unique city, pack your padded bike shorts and get ready for the ride of your life.

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SENIORS \\NOVEMBER, 2019

‘‘

Activities range from a Segway Safari along bush tracks to a flying fox zip line

STILL GREEN: O'Reilly's Mountain Villa survived the recent bushfires and open for business.

O’Reilly’s is ready for you Phil Hawkes IT’S late October on a beautiful clear mountain-fresh day at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, the traditional land of the Yugambeh people, in the Lamington National Park, at the back of the Gold Coast, Queensland. In the lobby I overhear a conversation between a couple from Brisbane and the receptionist. “We’re lucky to be here,” says the wife.

“This morning my mother told us we should cancel our booking as the place had been burnt down in the recent bushfires, so we made a phone call and found that wasn’t true. So here we are.”

Yanina and Apoorva at

the desk say they’ve heard this comment from a number of guests, and there’s been much confusion caused by dramatic scenes on TV. Later, at the manager’s daily guest briefing over afternoon tea (where appropriately, lamingtons are served), Brendan Long explains that in its 93 years of existence, O’Reilly’s has not been damaged by bushfires because it’s in the Gondwana subtropical rainforest area dating back millions of years, unscathed.

Tragically, the Binna Burra lodge and other properties across the range were destroyed, the difference being those sites also contain eucalypt and sclerophyll forest which is prone to

Lost World Spa Couples Treatment Room.

bushfire events. The village of Canungra (the jumping off point for the road into O’Reilly’s) was not damaged although it was used as a base for fire-fighting authorities.

Still, the false perception exists that the whole Scenic Rim area was burnt out; local businesses are just getting back on their feet and visitation is very welcome.

Back at O’Reilly’s, an Advanced Eco-Tourism resort, there’s much to enjoy in the clean air nearly 1000 metres above sea level, away from the coastal humidity. Ideal weather for walking, so I set off with another couple on a leisurely two-hour return hike to pretty Moran’s Falls where there’s a picnic area, good

for a BYO lunch. There’s historic interest there too, being the site of a bark hut where the O’Reilly brothers first lived when they moved here to establish a dairy farm in 1911… but that’s another story.

Apart from a number of different walks up to seven hours (a bit too much for me, I’d admit) there’s plenty to do at the resort, ranging from a Segway Safari along bush tracks, highly recommended, to a flying fox zip line experience down a valley which certainly gets the adrenalin moving. Less strenuous is a billy tea tour to a lookout by 4WD, with damper and a few yarns to accompany the magnificent views over the green mountains. No fire

Sunset from the summit of Moran Falls.

Photo: Ryan Fowler Photography

damage here.

The highlight for me is the 6.45am bird walk.

Armed with a camera and bird seed, we stroll quietly along the Booyong track where many different rainforest species including king parrots, Regent bower birds and the inevitable bush turkeys appear on cue, posing for happy snaps and a bit of birdsong. Our knowledgeable guide Sylva even seems to know many of them by name; she’s obviously a dedicated bird whisperer.

Back at the dining room, a substantial breakfast awaits and having given the birds just small handfuls of seed, everyone is overcompensating by diving into the hot and cold buffets with

Shane O'Reilly.

abandon, fuelling up for another day’s activities.

Just down the hill there are a number of separate villas and the Lost World Spa with an infinity pool, an excellent place to soothe tired muscles after all that walking. And good news for campers: according to Shane O’Reilly of the retreat’s owning family, the Green Mountains camp ground is being completely redeveloped adjacent to the resort with new facilities, giving visitors another option for accommodation in one of Queensland’s most beautiful mountain rainforests.

Info: oreillys.com.au * Phil Hawkes was a guest of O’Reilly’s Rainforest Resort

26

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

Facts about airline points

TRAVEL TIPS: Savvy travellers should check on rewards credit card deals, airline cabin upgrades and new airport lounges.

Photo: Wavebreakmedia Ltd

Holiday Coast tours Pty ltd

THE point hackers are behind one of Australia’s largest independent platform of airline rewards experts, Point Hacks (pointhacks.com.au).

Here are some points around earning and redeeming airline rewards points .

Point Hacks reveals some fallacies around airline rewards programs: 1. You can earn points when you buy flights with points.

Unfortunately, purchasing most reward flights with your points will not earn you points. This applies to every frequent flyer program. Flights purchased using frequent flyer points, otherwise known as Classic Flight Rewards on Qantas and Reward Seats on Virgin Australia, will not earn you any points.

2. Points Plus Pay is good value.

Through Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia, you can purchase award flights outright with your Qantas Frequent Flyer

points, or you can purchase flights using a mix of points and cash (called ‘Points Plus Pay’).

There is more seat availability when you use Points Plus Pay to purchase a flight, but this kind of redemption hugely devalues your points and is considered poor value: at a rate of around 0.7 cents per point. For a good value redemption, you should be looking between 1.5-14 cents per point, depending on your class of travel.

3. You can upgrade most ‘cheap tier’ flights with points.

This is false as you can generally only upgrade on certain tickets. For instance, Qantas’ discount economy — the cheapest Economy fare, also known as Red e-Deal or Sale fares — will only let you use points to upgrade on domestic flights, not international.

Meanwhile, Virgin Australia offers upgrades on all domestic Economy fares but for Business

upgrades on international flights, this is only available to Velocity Gold or Platinum members who have purchased the more expensive ‘Freedom’ fare.

A saver upgrade from Sydney to Brisbane would be 10,000 points, while an outright Business redemption would be 13,800 points. Short-haul international flights from Australia (Fiji, Samoa, Bali or New Zealand) only allow upgrades from flexi fares.

4. Frequent flyer points will never expire. Not so.

Points do expire. Some frequent flyer programs, such as Qantas and Velocity, have a ‘soft’ expiry for points (the points expire if they haven’t had any activity within a specific timeframe), whereas others such as KrisFlyer and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles have a ‘hard’ expiry (the points expire after a set time, regardless of whether points have been earned or used in the account).

Are you comfortable living in your own home but require a little extra help?

Phone 02 6583 8669 ABN 28 099 188 986

We have moved to Unit 25, Bellbowrie Park, Port Macquarie

Tour Calendar 2019/20

Visit our website - www.holidaycoasttours.com.au - for full itineraries CoST

CoaCH TerMInal

18-19 Nov

Christmas Lights in the Hunter Valley Gardens

$345.00

8.00am

23-27 Dec

Christmas on the Gold Coast

$1615.00

8.30am

31 Dec-2 Jan

New Year’s Eve in Paterson & Wallabadah Races

$545.00

8.30am

29-31 Jan

Central Coast & Riverboat Postman

$575.00

8.30am

8-24 Feb 2020

Tasmania

$4955.00

8.00am

4-5 March

War Horse Sydney Lyric theatre

per $310.00 person 8.30am

23-29 Mar 2020

Melbourne Tour featuring Melbourne Flower Show-7 days $1915.00

8.00am

1-7 Apr 2020

Man from Snowy River Bush Festival Corryong Australia

$1680.00

8.00am

22-31May 2020

“Spirit of the Outback” – Brisbane to Longreach by train

$3370.00

8.00am

2-4 June

Sydney Vivid Lights & 9-5 The Musical

$765.00

8.30am

4-12 Jun 2020

Bounty Week on Norfolk Island

$3695.00

TBA

3-5 July

Aberdeen’s Scottish Highland Gathering

$TBA

8.30am

29-30 July

Mystery Xmas In July

$385.00

9.00am

Aug 2020

Iconic Southern Sydney

$TBA

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27 Sept – 2 Oct 20

Canberra Floriade and Bowral Tulips

$1855.00

8.00am

15-25 Oct 2020

Kangaroo Island & Renmark Rose Festival

$3595.00

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23-26 Nov 2020

Cherries & Berries – Bathurst 4 days

$1185.00

7.30am

Whether it’s getting back on your feet after an illness, an extra hand with day to day personal care or just a bit of help with garden or house maintenance, the team at NVC are to help.

NVC In-Home Support provides a range of practical, flexible services designed to keep you living independently in your own home for as long as possible.

NVC is an approved Home Care Package provider and currently has vacancies for Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 Home Care Packages.

Come along and meet new Podiatrist Brittany Pike, at our new Podiatry Clinic in the Boardwalk Arcade 25 Princess Street Macksville.

We take the time to understand what is important to you, and what your exact needs are for you to feel comfortable and supported in your own home.

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Phone: 02 6598 5000

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SENIORS \\NOVEMBER, 2019

FEATURE

27

TOP THREE DAY TRIPS

Giant inflatables offer hours of fun COOL OFF WITH THE GRANDKIDS THIS SUMMER AT STONEY AQUA PARK

BEAUTY AND EVENT: The North Coast Regional Botanic Garden in Coffs Harbour is one of the leading botanic gardens in regional Australia.

Feel the Christmas spirit in the Garden

SWING INTO THE FESTIVE SEASON AT COFFS BOTANIC GARDEN THE North Coast Regional Botanic Garden in Coffs Harbour is one of the leading Botanic Gardens in regional Australia.

It is a popular tourist attraction and a picturesque haven for relaxation and recreation.

It also hosts music concerts throughout the year with local jazz band Swingfonia and Coffs Orchestra joining us to celebrate Christmas.

Popular features of the Garden include areas of natural forest and mangroves; plantings of rare and endangered Australian species, Australian rainforest species, and exotic plants from other sub-tropical regions of the world.

There is a delightful Japanese garden set around a lake with meditative spaces to encourage people to take time to relax and recharge in the peace of nature.

Paths and boardwalks give visitors easy access to all areas and are wheelchair friendly. It’s free to visit the Garden so come along and explore the walks, enjoy the roses in the Rose Garden, smell and touch plants and

flowers at the Sensory Garden – there’s an experience for everyone.

Upcoming events include: Movie: 2040: November 29 from 5.30-9.30pm. A documentary relaying what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to improve our planet.

Christmas lights display: Friday and Saturday, December 6 and 7 from 5-9.30pm.

Friday and Saturday, December 13 and 14 from 5-9.30pm.

Friday and Saturday, December 20 and 21 from 5-9.30pm.

Christmas in the Garden – Coffs Orchestra & Swingfonia: Saturday, December 7 from 6pm.

A local group performing jazz in all genres – trad, swing, modern, funk, Latin, blues and originals composed by our choral director, Mei Wei Lim. Her arrangements of Christmas songs have been chosen specifically for the range of voices in the group (soprano, alto 1, alto 2, baritone).

Phone 02 6648 4188 or visit: coffsbotanicgarden. com.au/events

Chris sttmas lights light g in n Coffs fs harbo h our b aniC botan iC gar rDEns

STONEY Aqua Park is the world’s largest Aqua Park, just 10km north of Port Macquarie.

It is a very popular destination for Seniors to meet with their children and grandkids for a day or two sharing together in fun-filled water activities.

The park covers a huge area and boasts a wide array of inflatable fun items for everyone’s enjoyment, suitable for ages from six all the way up to the elderly.

The floating fun park is based on a man-made lake sourced from a fresh rainwater catchment. This allows Stoney Aqua Park to maintain a safe and controlled environment.

The young and young at heart will have the time of their lives on the slides, blast bags, trampolines, swings, challenge tracks, balance beams, wobble pads.

These are just a few of the many and varied features enclosed within the extensive walkways and floating tracks of the watercourse.

On shore we have

‘‘

A kiosk is provided for your convenience and comfort under the natural shaded environment

extensive shade structures, barbecue areas that require $1 coins to operate, change rooms, picnic benches and sun lounges.

A kiosk is provided for your convenience and comfort under the natural shaded environment on the white sandy lakefront.

Stoney Park offers a range of accommodation options including: Holiday park, powered caravan sites, powered motorhome sites, self-contained cabins and camp sites. Groups are very welcome.

Phone 02 6585 0090 or visit stoneyaquapark. com.au

Stoney Aqua Park is the world’s largest Aqua Park just 10km North of Port Macquarie. Photo: Michael Marchment

INTERESTING AND EXOTIC: Billabong Zoo is the ideal outing for grandparents and their grandchildren.

Be sure to drop by for the Zoo talks

SPECIAL MEMORIES ARE MADE AT BILLABONG ZOO

MULTIPLE award-winning Billabong Zoo (Port Macquarie, NSW) is the ideal outing for grandparents to take the grandchildren.

Together you can get up close and personal to Australian and exotic animals to create special lifetime memories for each visitor.

You can pat, stroke, feed, hold, hear and see more than 80 species of mammals, reptiles and birds. Some of the animals include meerkats, red pandas, penguins, turtles, wombats, wedge-tail eagle, monkeys, quolls, lizards, snow leopards, reptiles, cassowaries, cheetah, crocodiles, snakes, kangaroos, emu, fennec fox, green and golden bell frog, koalas, lions and dingoes.

The staff at the zoo care for more than 200 animals in the friendly koala and wildlife park.

coffee shop open 7.00pm - 9.30pm

‘‘

Zoo keepers take the time to explain the life of an animal in the wild Enjoy the much-loved Zoo Talks that are on throughout the day. The zoo keepers take the time to explain the life of an animal in the wild and in several cases discuss the role of a zoo in terms of conservation, as a number of the animals they care for are sadly vulnerable or critically endangered in the wild.

During these presentations, the zoo keepers are happy to take any questions from visitors. All Zoo Talks are free as they are included in the admission price.

Phone 6585 1060 or see billabongzoo.com.au

Zoo café open to the public 9am to 2.30pm

Bring your family and celeBrate christmas in the Botanic garden

Dec 6 and 7, Dec 13 and 14, Dec 20 and 21

6648 4188

Coffs Harbour Botanic Garden

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Hardacre St, Friday and Saturday nights Coffs Harbour

10am-4pm SESSIONS BEGIN ON THE HOUR Address: 16 Hacks Ferry Rd, Telegraph Point Phone: 6585 0090 Web: www.stoneyaquapark.com.au

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Fun For Everyone

Christmas Lights

OPEN DAILY 9am to 5pm

(Except Christmas Day)

Billabong Drive,Port Macquarie 6585 1060 | Billabongzoo.com.au

28

WELLBEING

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

‘‘

Wellbeing

Fine smoke particles are known to affect the human breathing system

BEWARE: Take precautions to ensure you are not affected by bushfire smoke.

Photo: Lachie Millard

Beware of smoke hazards

AS bushfires continue to burn out of control across NSW and Queensland, people are being reminded to protect themselves from the dangerously high levels of smoke that will continue to impact air quality in coming days.

NSW Health Director of Environmental Health Dr Richard Broome said people with conditions like asthma, emphysema and angina were more likely to be sensitive to the effects of smoke.

“Smoke from bushfires can be quite unpredictable, but we’re expecting poor air quality in a number of places into next week,” Dr Broome said.

For most people, Dr Broome said smoke would likely be no more than an irritation, but he

said people with existing heart and lung conditions should avoid outdoor physical activity during these conditions.

In particular, asthma sufferers are advised to follow their action plans and have relieving medication with them at all times.

For detailed advice on dealing with the dangers of bushfire smoke, visit the NSW Government website.

THE NSW GOVT HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS ISSUED THESE PRECAUTIONS:

Fine smoke particles are known to affect the human breathing system.

The smaller or finer the particles, the deeper they go into the lungs.

These particles can

cause a variety of health problems, such as itchy or burning eyes, throat irritation, runny nose and illnesses such as bronchitis.

The smoke particles can also aggravate existing lung conditions, such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma.

Symptoms can occur for several days after smoke is inhaled, so people with the above conditions need to be vigilant with their treatment programs.

If you have asthma or a lung condition and you develop symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing, follow your asthma or COPD action plan.

If symptoms do not settle, seek medical advice.

If you are on home oxygen treatment, continue as prescribed.

If breathlessness worsens, contact your doctor.

Healthy adults generally find that any symptoms they have developed during a bushfire event clear after the smoke disappears.

THE FOLLOWING PRECAUTIONS CAN HELP YOU MINIMISE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF BUSHFIRE SMOKE: ■ Stay indoors, with windows and doors closed, or stay in air-conditioned premises, if possible.

■ Avoid vigorous exercise, especially if you have asthma or a lung

condition.

■ Cover your nose and mouth with a mask designed to filter fine particles.

Use a mask rated either P1 or P2.

These are available from hardware stores. P2 masks are more effective in blocking the finest particles,.

However, any mask has to be worn correctly over the nose and mouth to protect you.

■ If smoke conditions are hazardous, your local Public Health Unit may advise you to postpone outdoor events or seek shelter in air-conditioned premises or a clean-air room, if one is available.

■ If the bushfire event lasts a long time, say, a few weeks, consider the following precautions to reduce exposure:

■ Take advantage of any breaks in smoky conditions to air out your home.

But remember to close off the house again when conditions deteriorate.

■ Reduce physical activity.

■ If you are particularly susceptible to bushfire smoke, consider staying with a friend or relative whose house has clean indoor air.

Alternatively, leave the area for a cleaner environment.

For more information, visit the website at www.health.nsw .gov.au/environment/ factsheets/Pages/ bushfire-smoke.aspx

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WELLBEING

29

Get healthy and take in the views at same time Fitness equipment situated in perfect place

MEMBER for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh said a new fitness station at Coffs Harbour’s Southern Foreshores is a welcome addition to community facilities in our city.

Mr Singh joined members of the Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour for the official opening of the Southern Foreshores Fitness Station at Wayne Glenn Walk.

“I congratulate the Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour membership for driving this important project, and for delivering it,” Mr Singh said.

“In consultation with local organisations, Rotary identified the need to provide an opportunity for all members of our

COMMUNITY EFFORT: Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh and Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour members celebrate the opening of the Southern Foreshores Fitness Station at Wayne Glenn Walk. community to have free access to fitness equipment.

“The Southern Foreshores Fitness Station creates an exercise and meeting

point for individuals and community groups. While they enjoy getting fit, they can also enjoy the stunning harbourside views.”

Mr Singh said he was

proud the NSW Government’s Community Building Partnership Program had contributed $16,000 to the project.

“The Community Building Partnership

program is designed to help create a more vibrant and inclusive local community with positive social, environment and recreation outcomes,” he said.

The Southern Foreshores Fitness Station complements other Rotary projects which are already enhancing the Coffs Harbour Jetty Foreshores.

We love retirement village living

Catholic Care of the Aged provides a lifestyle you want and care when you need it, all within a supportive community.

CCA villages are centrally located in Port Macquarie offering modern 1.5, 2 and 3 bedroom private ground floor villas in spacious surroundings.

Book a tour today! Visit www.ccacares.org.au

30

WELLBEING

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

Friends are important Tracey Johnstone AN OLD friend mentioned in a recent email to another school friend that I had just moved to town and was feeling lonely so could I be included in a reunion lunch. Turns out, the email wasn’t supposed to have me copied in.

When I read it, I felt quite miffed that I was seen as being lonely. It might have been true, but the public labelling of me in this way without me ever saying that as such left me feeling lousy.

There is a strong stigma associated with admitting you are lonely, Dr Barbara Neves, a senior sociology lecturer at Monash University, has found.

“Particularly in later life,’’ she said. “This is because some older people already feel so stigmatised, so patronised because they are old and frail, and so loneliness adds another layer to a comprised sense of personhood and dignity, particularly in a society obsessed with being young.”

But, is it that I am just alone rather than lonely?

Al: “I never allow myself to (be) LONELY! Occupy your mind with activity that you’ve always wanted to do while you can. I love being on my own (not lonely).”

Being alone is often when we choose to be by our self. Loneliness is something quite different.

It’s not something that we can see; it’s a feeling, and it’s subjective.

It comes from a lack of companionship, a sense of neglect, feeling as though you don’t belong.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare puts it simply: “Having a lower level of social

contact than desired.”

According to the AIHW, older Australians are at an increased risk of social isolation due to a number of environmental factors, primarily the loss of physical or mental capacity or the loss of friends and family members.

It estimates that about one in five (19 per cent) of us are socially isolated.

The highest rates occur in the largest urban regions and in sparsely populated states and territories.

Margaret: “Groups are fine for some people…thankfully I don’t need them.”

But what about Al and Margaret’s natural social needs?

Humans are social animals and we need to belong. By forming meaningful relationships, we can stave off many major and costly health issues including depression, anxiety and possibly the onset of dementia.

“Loneliness increases the risk of dementia by more than 40 per cent for older people,” Dr Neves said. ❚ Reach out Queensland University’s Professor Alex Haslam argues that we all need groups in our lives, but there is one very important component to groups that can make them work for you, and that is meaningfulness.

“The critical thing that gets people out of loneliness, or drives them into it, is loss or gaining valued group memberships,” he said.

Just spending time around other people isn’t necessarily the answer. If the people you are with aren’t valued by you, it can make things worse.

“The critical thing is

GET-TOGETHERS: Being part of something is a good feeling. being a member of meaningful groups.

“It’s not just about not having anyone to talk to; it’s about not being part of these groups that take you out of yourself or individuality.”

Let’s face it, how often does some bright spark suggest you join this group or that group while not fully understanding what type of connection you really need?

So, being forced into a group isn’t necessarily the answer for you.

You need to achieve a sense of being connected to that group and that means finding people who think the way you do.

“The key message is that you should join

groups, not which groups should you join,” Prof Haslam said.

“Any group is good for you as soon as you can identify with it and it works for you.

“It’s the meaningfulness of the group that matters, not the nature of the group,” he added.

Ted: “You can choose to be lonely or not lonely.

That said, you can be lonely in a relationship too. If I was to be lonely, I would rather be lonely on my own than in a bad relationship.”

It’s the quality of relationships that is important as well.

You need to surround yourself with people who

Photo: Cecilie_Arcurs

mean something to you.

That might be many or just one or two, but the critical choice is ensuring they complement you and allow you to be who you are. ❚ Change direction The first step is to realise loneliness is not your fault Dr Neves says.

“It’s a social issue, not just an individual issue.”

Chari: When my husband passed away eight years ago, my life went from being super hectic to nothing doing.

I learned how to keep myself busy by volunteering, watching movies, joining several groups of friends for regular lunch outings, and

most importantly, I learned to do things on my own and enjoy it rather than wait for someone to do things with me. I still do feel lonely sometimes but that’s OK.” Secondly, you need to determine who you want to spend time with.

“Trying to go around negative behaviours and being more open to quality time with others is crucial,” Dr Neves said.

Her next tip is to find out what social activities are happening in your neighbourhood or retirement community, and that interest you. “It’s where you can meet people with similar interests,” she said.

Pat: Best thing ever

Totall Country

Peter on Johnst

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part of good health when I joined a VIEW Club.

You can also look at where you can share your experience and knowledge within a volunteer role.

“Volunteering and helping others can help with our own feelings and can help us see the value in ourselves,” Prof Haslam said.

“Everyone has a role to play in helping to address loneliness. In our research we have found that helping other people is one of the best ways to stave it off yourself.”

He says viewing your neighbour as someone who you can share common group membership or a sense of identity with, consequently developing “us-ness’’, is a valuable “way to interact with them and the way you perceive them and the expectations you have around them”.

“Beyond joining a group, you can also look at the relationships you have and see how you can make them better for you,” Dr Neve says. “And be open to new relationships.”

Another idea from Beyond Blue is pets, particularly dogs, who

provide constant companionship and unconditional love, and need to be kept active.

They give you a purpose of getting you out of your home even when you’re feeling down, forcing you to be more active and opening opportunities for you to connect with others in your community.

If you are still feeling lonely, then Dr Neves recommends you talk to a social worker or your GP. ❚ Social prescribing The Royal College of General Practitioners reports in its 2019 General Practice: Health of the Nation that psychological issues such as depression, mood disorders and anxiety “again appear as the most common health issue managed by GPs”.

In the UK, GPs are being encouraged to connect these patients with relevant social services. “Its impact is a bit mixed precisely because you are often imposing solutions or groups on people and doing that in a not very structured way,” Prof Haslam said.

On a recent episode of the ABC show The Drum,

GOOD COMPANY: Pets can be a great comfort.

Photo: Jevtic

former AMA president Kerryn Phelps explained the challenges around this type of health support approach as GPs are often only able to allocate 20 minutes for a

consultation.

“I think there is an artificial divide between psychological and physical illness,” she said.

“The two almost always

coexist. Somebody might present with trouble sleeping or a headache or some other somatic condition or physical symptom, whereas the underlying or coexisting condition is one of anxiety or depression or difficulty with life circumstances.

And, of course, the GP is the first point of call and should be for someone suffering from any kind of health condition.”

The burden lies with the GP who Dr Phelps says would find it almost impossible to provide sufficient support to a patient within a 20-minute consultation, especially when a patient does not express their psychological issue until the last minutes of an appointment.

In Australia, University of Queensland’s Associate Professor Genevieve Dingle is leading The Ways to Wellness Social Isolation Project research team which is testing this social prescribing concept, where patients are referred to a link worker and on to non-medical group programs in the community.

Prof Dingle’s team are examining the effects of

this social prescribing project with a view to developing a model that can be implemented across Australia. ❚ Tackling the conversation head-on Talking to others about being lonely is hard. Often those that matter most to you will divert the conversation away from what you are trying to voice rather than listen to what you have to say.

If this keeps happening, there are free phone services you can contact so your concerns can be heard.

“Although we are talking about strategies that people can take at the individual level, it is important to think about our social responsibility,” Dr Neves said.

“One thing that is extremely important is more initiatives to destigmatise loneliness and deconstruct the idea that loneliness is associated with a personal weakness.”

If any part of this story raises concerns, phone Lifeline 131 114, Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 or Red Cross Telecross, 1300 885 698.

Mutual support and meaningful connections THE team at Lively are young, enthusiastic and energised and ready to roll out their innovative intergenerational home-care service.

The management group of four in their early 30s, led by Lively founder Anna Donaldson, are bringing to the aged-care space a new model for delivering in-home support which is a fresh, youthful approach Ms Donaldson says is sometimes lacking in the industry.

“It’s about young and older people coming together and supporting each other in an enthusiastic and energetic way on both sides, and recognising both young and older people can be lively and have a whole lot to contribute and offer,” Ms Donaldson said.

The not-for-profit organisation has been operating in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for about four years, offering technology help to 700 older Australians. Last month it expanded its operations, after running

a pilot, launching its home-care service model in Melbourne.

The service is based on the Netherlands’ Buurtzorg low-cost model which uses a local team of helpers who are established in a local community and work directly with people in that area with the autonomy to self-manage as a team, but supported by a central office.

“Teams can then pop up anywhere around Australia in the near future rather than us growing to become a huge organisation,” she said.

Ms Donaldson says the new business aims to address youth unemployment and underemployment while also tackling social isolation among older Australians, and the disconnection and ageism between the generations.

“We train and employ job seekers in the 18 to 25 age bracket to work with older people in their local communities, providing support and

NEW MODEL: Lively’s newly launched home care service is working to build reciprocal relationships.

Photo: Lively services that help older people maintain social connection and general wellbeing,” she added.

“Through the process we try to facilitate and encourage the formation of meaningful relationships and friendships between the older and younger people where they are learning from the older people’s knowledge and experience, and breaking down some of the stereotypes, attitudes

and preconceptions young people might have about older community members.”

The young workers are selected based on their attitudes, values and mindset instead of just their qualifications.

Lively put them through an introductory course which Ms Donaldson says is about establishing an empathy and awareness of the people they will be working with.

“And (we do) some foundation work around their communication and interpersonal skills, and the skills they need to manage themselves in this environment,” she said. “We give them a lot of autonomy to be connected with the older clients and work with them to self-manage how they work together and support each other.

“Through the training we impress on them the responsibility and

expectations of their role.”

This approach is an innovative way of creating a new entry point for young people moving into working in aged care. “It gives them an introduction to the sector and a sense of how rewarding it is, and build their motivation to take on more training and qualifications.”

The services provided will be basic support that doesn’t include personal care and support with mobility. The workers will be paid for doing simple tasks like gardening, shopping and jobs around the house The workers are paid through the Home Care Packages program. It’s a two-way relationship where both generations value getting to know each other, Ms Donaldson says.

“We are trying to build reciprocal relationships where there is a sense of exchange,” she said.

“The older person is contributing to the younger person rather than just receiving care and support.”

32

NEWS

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

FOOD SMART WORKSHOP COFFS HARBOUR

Community What's on notes

Tania Phillips Journalist

TENORI: TIMELESS

DAVID Kidd, Craig Atkinson and Andrew Pryor share a classic collection of songs that remain as current as the day they were written.

Tenori have established themselves as a national touring force, travelling all across Australia and sharing the stage with Emma Pask, Marina Prior and James Morrison. They have been hard at work on a new album and are extremely excited to share fresh versions of some of their favourite songs at the Saraton Theatre in Grafton on November 22.

Phone: 02 6642 1633.

When there is grief you need SUPPORT. When there is loss you need COMFORT & UNDERSTANDING. When it is time to PLAN or say farewell there is

KEITH LOGUE & SONS

PROVIDED by: Harry Bailey Memorial Library Coffs Harbour from 10.30am to 12.30pm on November 22. Discover how making small changes can help you reduce food waste at home, save money and help the environment attend this free, workshop through Coffs Council Website.

IPADS AND BISCUITS: EXPLORE GOOGLE EARTH

COME along to this free group learning session iPads Learning Circle on November 26 at Coffs Harbour Library. Join up with other iPad users to explore google earth satellite photos, hybrid map and street view. Bring along a device or borrow one at the library and work through all things iPad apps.

Funeral & Cremation Directors Since 1967 34 Park Avenue, Coffs Harbour

6652 1999

6744970aa

PRINTMAKING THEATRE: THE OVERWINTERING PROJECT

COME along to see The Overwintering Project Printmaking Theatre and witness roller printing in action, November 30, from 8.30am to 12.30pm at the Coffs Harbour Gallery, Ground level,

TIMELESS: Tenori have been hard at work on a new album and are extremely excited to share fresh versions of some of their favourite songs at the Saraton Theatre in Grafton on November 22.

Castle Street Car Park, Coffs Central. The large scale prints created on the day are from lino cuts made by students at Woolgoolga High School and Toormina High School. Students have been working with local artists over October and November to raise awareness about the migratory shorebirds who make their home on the Coffs Coast over summer.

These large scale prints will form part of The Overwintering Project in the Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery from December 6 to February 1, 2020.

THE FLOCK SAWTELL SUMMER SESSIONS

HELP to keep the shorebirds coming. Join artists from the Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery paint shorebirds to create a big flock. The flock will then be seen all around the Coffs Harbour area to promote the Overwintering Exhibition that highlights the plight of the precious shorebirds. The Overwintering Project will be held December 6 to February 8. Migratory shorebirds connect the world; their annual migration journeys bind sky, land and sea into a

meaningful whole. Yet, migratory shorebirds are the most endangered but possibly least known group of birds.

The Overwintering Project is a multidisciplinary, environmental art project that brings together artists, local high school students, scientists, birders and poets to address environmental impacts on migratory shorebirds and their habitats, including special places here on the Coffs Coast. The Overwintering Project exhibition features printmaking, artists’ books and sculpture.

Better Than Bingo!

Got a hankering for a new hobby? Discover everything you desire with Seniors online. There’s exclusive travel offers, the stories that matter to you, big win competitions, plus every exciting event happening near you! Seniors – redefining an exciting retirement!

Opening Doors to the Seniors Lifestyle

Join us at seniorsnews.com.au

SENIORS \\NOVEMBER, 2019

MONEY

33

Where there’s a Will,there’s a family member

Planning for future finances reaps rewards

Dianne Charman WHEN we finally start to see our retirement on the horizon a lot goes through our minds.

We start to think about all the things we want to do but haven’t yet. The adventures and places we’ve always wanted to explore but never had the time to. We ask ourselves big questions like: what do I want to do for the next 30 to 40 years?

Then we start to think about money. Do I have enough money to tick off all those things on my bucket list? I’m over work, but what happens when I no longer receive my fortnightly pay check? Will I/we be able to manage?

We all have different goals. And each different retirement lifestyle brings with it its own unique set of questions.

Here are some helpful pointers to help you navigate a few different types of retirement lifestyles.

■ Globe trotter, cruiser or adventure seeker Firstly, you need to establish what kind of traveller you want to be.

Are you a flash packer or backpacker? Are you looking to tick off as many places as you can off your list? Or, are you the kind of traveller that likes to really get a feel for the place they are visiting and stay put for a while?

Establishing the above will help you determine your budget. I encourage my clients to think about their retirement savings in buckets: the income nest egg and the lifestyle bucket list funds.

By keeping your funds separate you’re less likely to eat into your income fund. Knowing exactly how much you have in your

nest egg and that you have enough to cover your day to day costs will bring peace of mind. This will give you the space to enjoy whatever adventure you choose to go on.

■ The working retiree Sometimes our retirement is not about stopping paid work altogether. But it’s important to be very clear about why you are continuing to work.

Working in retirement because we need to rather than because we want to isn’t retirement at all. We define retirement as ceasing work because you have enough money for the lifestyle you want. I tell my clients that they shouldn’t rely on their part time income.

Some companies offer a Transition to Retirement approach which involves reducing your working hours over several years prior to retirement. This can valuable for both the employer (who doesn’t lose valuable knowledge all at once) and the employee.

Transition to retirement is a flexible option that allows you to work longer and retire later and on your terms, and rewards you for staying in the workforce by allowing you to access some of your super to make up your income to the required amount. However, as it can be complex, we strongly suggest you discuss your options with your super fund and seek licensed financial advice.

There’s a difference between transitioning to retirement and having a part time job in retirement. Be sure you know which one suits you best.

■ Relocation retirement Whether you’re looking for a sea or a tree change,

or you just want to downsize, it pays to do the numbers. Selling the family home is not a simple or easy decision and there are many financial, practical and emotional factors to consider.

Clients will often say that they’ll top up their super with the “extra money” from downsizing their home. Sadly, the new smaller home in the dream location often comes with a similar or higher price tag.

But if you’re lucky enough to have money left over after you downsize you could look at using the government’s downsizing contribution scheme to add the extra money to your superannuation and top up your nest egg. The scheme is open to those who are aged 65 or over and sell their principal residence that they have owned for at least 10 years. If you tick that box, you are eligible to make a non-concessional contribution to super of up to $300,000 from the proceeds. Couples can contribute $300,000 each.

No matter the retirement lifestyle you are hoping to achieve, plan ahead and reap rewards.

Dianne Charman, of Jade Financial Group, is an Authorised Representative of AMP Financial Planning Pty Ltd, ABN 89 051 208 327, AFS Licence No. 232706.Any advice given is general only and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.

Because of this, before acting on any advice, you should consult a financial planner

A person entitled to bring a claim must be either: a) the spouse, including de facto, b) a child, c) a former spouse, d) a person: i. who was, at any particular time, wholly or partly dependent on the deceased, and ii. who is a grandchild of the deceased person or was, at that particular time or at any other time, a member of the household of which the deceased person was a member, e) a person with whom the deceased was living in a close personal relationship at the time of their death.

While there is nothing that can be done to stop a person bringing a claim, there are mechanisms to assist the Court to understand

Lawyer

Hadyn Oriti your intentions and to give the best chance to uphold your will.

Historically, the success rate of claims seemed to suggest that every applicant got something.

However, we are noticing a trend in recent cases to suggest that is no longer the case.

We have assisted many willmakers in their quest to deny what they perceive to be unmeritorious challenges. For decades we have acted to uphold the Will and ensure the willmaker’s wishes are implemented.

To ensure the best chance of success, you must put the right things in place from the start when drawing up your will.

Should you require any further information, please contact Hadyn Oriti on (02) 6583 0449.

LEGAL + CONVEYANCING

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MONEY ADVICE: No matter the retirement lifestyle you are hoping to achieve, planning ahead and early as possible will reap rewards.

Photo: JacobLund

While we may have strong views about where we wish our estate to go, someone who thinks they have been unfairly treated in a will may be able to challenge it.

34

CLASSIFIEDS

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS

NSW Senior Australian of Year 2020 ‘‘

Despair of students led to innovative program THE 2020 NSW Australians of the Year have been announced at a ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney this month.

“Each year our nation comes together to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Australia’s amazing citizens through the Australian of the Year Awards,” NSW Premier Ms Berejiklian said.

NSW Senior Australian of the Year is environmental educator and social enterprise founder Sue Lennox.

As a teacher, Sue Lennox was concerned about young people's anxiety and despair about the future of the planet.

So with her late husband, Colin, she founded the award-winning social enterprise OzGREEN (Global Rivers Environmental Education Network Australia Inc). It teaches young people how to take positive

Sue teaches people to become 'citizen scientists'

environmental action through education, participatory leadership and community development.

Sue's initiatives with OzGREEN include the Youth Leading the World program, a learning and leadership course that creates sustainable communities. She teaches people to become 'citizen scientists' and to take action to improve the health of their waterways.

Under Sue's leadership, OzGREEN has developed sustainability programs in 1,600 locations across

Sue Lennox award.

with

her

Australia, India, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Pakistan.

After stepping down as CEO this year, Sue is now focused on sharing OzGREEN's multi-award-winning approach by training others as facilitators and citizen scientists. She remains on the board of OzGREEN. Her extraordinary work continues to empower individuals and communities by replacing despair with hope.

2020 NSW Australian of the Year is Professor Al

PLANETARY CARE: NSW Senior Australian of the Year 2020 Susan Lennox.

Photo: CONTRIBUTED

Muderis, a pioneering orthopedic surgeon and human rights advocate, was nominated for his world-renowned surgical innovations and humanitarian work, funding his team to travel to Iraq to treat victims of conflict and educating other surgeons in complex limb reconstruction techniques.

Corey Tutt, an

Indigenous mentor and fundraiser, is the NSW Young Australian of the Year. Through his organisation, Deadly Science, Mr Tutt gathers donations of science resources, and sends them to remote schools around Australia.

Bernie Shakeshaft, founder of BackTrack Youth Works Program, is the NSW Local Hero. After

seeing the plight of disadvantaged youth in his community, Mr Shakeshaft took action, turning around the lives of some of Australia’s most vulnerable children.

NSW’s four recipients will join those from other states and territories for the national awards ceremony in Canberra on January 25, 2020.

Practical things you can do to limit impact of fire WITH much of NSW and Queensland suffering catastrophic fire conditions, many people are left wondering how they can do their bit to help.

Here are some practical things you can do that will make a big difference to those who are displaced, injured or who lose their homes and belongings.

■ Recycle your old bottles and cans: Instead of putting your cans and plastic bottles in your recycling bin, separate them and place in a TOMRA reverse vending machine.

TOMRA and Rural Aid have teamed up to create a new initiative, Bottles for the Bush, to assist in raising $250,000 for bushfire and drought relief. Every eligible drink or can donated through these machines will go towards the delivery of hay, water, livestock feed and food supplies. Every 10 cents donated helps, providing relief to

Australian families that are doing it tough over the Christmas and New Year period.

■ Donate blankets and clothing: With many families fleeing their homes at short notice, there are people in evacuation centres who only have the shirts on their backs. If you have any unused blankets and clothing lying around the home, you can donate it to evacuation centres through charities like Vinnies and Salvos. These organisations will also appreciatively accept food, living and bathroom essentials and cash donations to give to families in need.

■ Open your home to pets: All creatures big and small need somewhere to stay during bushfires and droughts. Across social media you can register your interest to give a range of animals places to stay during bushfires.

Pets can stay overnight or

PRACTICAL SUPPORT: Various ways to assist fire victims. even just for a couple hours. You can also register to help evacuate and transport cattle and horses. Visit the Fire

Evacuation Pet Assistance NSW to register your interest.

■ Donate to people in need: The Queensland

Government have partnered with GIVIT to provide emergency relief to people affected by the fires. Charities are able to

Photo: Contributed

list the items that are needed and they are matched online with donations from generous people all over Australia.

SENIORS \\NOVEMBER, 2019

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

1

2

PUZZLES 3

7

4

5

Across 1 Which Japanese city hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics and has an annual ice and snow sculpture festival? (7) 4 What do we call the costume of a nun or monk? (5) 7 What British nobleman ranks below a marquess and above a viscount? (4) 8 What did Gene Roddenberry create? (4,4) 10 What is a colloquial expression for an amorous glance?

(3,4,3) 12 What dung-beetle was considered sacred in ancient Egypt? (6) 13 Where did Sophia Loren spend her childhood? (6) 15 Who was the author of A Spaniard in the Works? (4,6) 18 What wine bottle is about six times the size of a standard bottle? (8) 19 What is a mark left by a whip? (4) 20 Which card game was a forerunner of bridge? (5) 21 What is the white part of an egg? (7)

6

8 9

10 11 12

13 14 15

16

17 18

20

Down 1 In what sport are flying clay targets used? (5) 2 What hard, sharp-tasting cow’s milk cheese is used primarily in grated form? (8) 3 What are groups or series of eight? (6) 4 With whose band did Frank Sinatra make his first recordings? (5,5) 5 From what part of the cork oak does cork come? (4) 6 What are the proceeds from a period of selling? (7) 9 Gymnastics was given a new lease of life as a sport by which gymnast at the 1972 Olympics? (4,6) 11 Sir Winston Churchill was born at which palace? (8) 12 Colloquially in the United States, what part of a town is frequented by vagrants and alcoholics? (4,3) 14 What is the capital of Turkey? (6) 16 What material is most commonly used for brush bristles? (5) 17 Which language used to be called Siamese? (4)

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19

21

SUDOKU

QUICK CROSSWORD

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

1

2

3

4

DOUBLECROSS

5

6

7

8 9

Find a finished crossword by deleting one of the two letters in each divided square.

10

11 12 13

14

15 16

17

18

19 20

21

23

5x5

ALPHAGRAMS: EXALT, FEARED, GARNETS, HARDWARE, INSINUATE. GK CROSSWORD Across: 1 Sapporo, 4 Habit, 7 Earl, 8 Star Trek, 10 The glad eye, 12 Scarab, 13 Naples, 15 John Lennon, 18 Rehoboam, 19 Weal, 20 Whist, 21 Albumen.

Down: 1 Skeet, 2 Parmesan, 3 Octads, 4 Harry James, 5 Bark, 6 Takings, 9 Olga Korbut, 11 Blenheim, 12 Skid Row, 14 Ankara, 16 Nylon, 17 Thai.

QUICK CROSSWORD Across: 1. Bars 3. Focussed 9. Reliant 10. Cried 11. Insufferable 13. Reveal 15.

Pledge 17. In the long run 20. Hindu 21. Tremble 22. Worsened 23. Alms.

Down: 1. Barriers 2. Rules 4. Outset 5. Unchallenged 6. Skilled 7. Dodo 8.

Halfway house 12. Keenness 14. Vintner 16. Blithe 18. Rebel 19. Thaw.

I

A H

C I

S E E R S

N Y

S P

E G G E D

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 18 Very Good 25 Excellent 30

R E A V E

WORD GO ROUND

A I S L E

DOUBLECROSS

B L U E R

SOLUTIONS

SUDOKU

ALPHAGRAMS 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 five-letter solution starts with J, the six-letter solution starts with K, and so on.

LATEX DEAFER STRANGE HER AWARD ANNUITIES

5x5

B

R I

U

G A

L R

S

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

Note: more than one solution may be possible.

E E

E

S

All puzzles © The Puzzle Company

SOLUTION

Down 1. Obstacles (8) 2. Statutes (5) 4. Commencement (6) 5. Uncontested (12) 6. Proficient (7) 7. Extinct bird (4) 8. Midpoint in a progression (7,5) 12. Enthusiasm (8) 14. Wine seller (7) 16. Cheerful (6) 18. Dissenter (5) 19. Melt (4)

Across 1. Excludes (4) 3. Concentrated (8) 9. Dependent (7) 10. Wept (5) 11. Intolerable (12) 13. Disclose (6) 15. Promise (6) 17. Over time (2,3,4,3) 20. Indian religion (5) 21. Quiver (7) 22. Deteriorated (8) 23. Charity (4)

apish aspic chain chains chin china chins chip chips hiya inch nips pain pains panic panics phasic physic PHYSICIAN pica pinch pins piny piscina pish shin shiny ship snip spicy spin spinach spiny

22

36

MID NORTH COAST

NOVEMBER, 2019// SENIORS