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2 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

In this edition

Feature: Jackie French ..................................Pages 4 & 5 Wellbeing ........................................................Pages 14-23 Live & Let’s Save ...................................................Page 28 Travel ...............................................................Pages 29-32 Puzzles.........................................................Page 35

Contact us Editor Gail Forrer gail.forrer@seniorsnewspaper.com.au Media Sales Executive Sue Germany sue.germany@seniorsnewspaper.com.au Phone: (02) 6650 2925. Suite 2, Ground Floor, 144-148 West High Street, Coffs Harbour, 2450.

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

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

Printed by News Corp Australia, Yandina.

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

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

Life-long learning comes in many forms.

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

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

❝

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

I divide the world into learners and non-learners.

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

My personal experience

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

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

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

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

Hey there fellows, a good mate wants you to take more care MELANOMA patient Peter Robinson has issued a word of serious advice to other men to look after themselves better, cover up and stop being man-proud.

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

He was your typical Aussie kid and young adult; out in the sun most of year, playing in the surf and on the sand with no

CANCER: Peter Robinson is enjoying his melanoma recovery time, living to the full.

sunscreen in sight, no hats and no idea of what skin damage was occurring to blue-eyed, freckly boy.

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

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

He went to the doctor because of bronchitis.

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

The subsequent biopsy

revealed a melanoma of such significant depth its removal was mandatory, along with two lymph nodes.

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

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

One of the lymph nodes was found to have a few cancer cells in it, so Peter made the second big decision to

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have the rest of the lymph nodes removed a few months later in March.

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

His advice to other men is to cover up instead of trying to be a golden adonises, take all the advice from professionals that handle cancer issues daily, change your diet and lose

weight, get an annual skin check, look after yourself, and stop being man proud.

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

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

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Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

any thought,” Mr Edgar said.

“We are attempting to create awareness.

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

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

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

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

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

“The whole of society is changing.”

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

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

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

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

“People who make an effort get the most satisfaction.

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

THE EDGARS: A new way of thinking about ageing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Cars need to be turned on constantly.

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

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

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

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

ABOUT THE EDGARS

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

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seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Bring it on!

Gail Forrer

BOTOX, facelift, fillers.

Get out of here!

At the end of her life.

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

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

“I want everything to be worn out.”

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

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

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

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

She wants everyone to have entry into the rich, colourful and diverse

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

Reading is magic says literacy leader and author Jackie French

world of literature.

French could have slipped through a wall of words and ended up in the silent room of illiteracy, instead she credits a patient, insightful infant school teacher with recognising her innate ability and having the patience to deal with a very young person who would never learn through traditional teaching methods.

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

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

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

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

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

She calls reading magic.

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

She was the 2014–2015 Australian Children’s Laureate and is constantly promoting literacy, including in 2015 offering 60,000 children $5 each if they couldn’t find the Magic Book that would be so fascinating they couldn’t stop reading it.

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

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

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

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

“They just want to get you on a couch with book

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Coffs and Clarence

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 5

The lines of a well-lived life Various extracts from Jackie’s 2015 Senior Australian of the Year, valedictory speech

with them. Because there are plenty of pictures and the kids don’t know if you get it wrong, bit by bit, they learn to read.”

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

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

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

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

Under the circumstances, Jackie came to realise her neighbour couldn’t read

and was in the perfect place to learn.

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

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

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

And this is another thing she is passionate about, because Jackie French does not believe in retirement.

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

On the other hand, she

When I was young, few schools accepted indigenous kids; women did not have equal pay; married women were barred from jobs; three kids in our street alone were crippled in one year from polio. Our nation has changed so much.

Sometimes we need to stop, and look back, to realise just how far we have come. Focus on what has been changed, and is being changed, and you will have the courage to keeping working for good in the future, too. has seen friends take up study and find lasting value.

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

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

“It used to be that at 60

These last two years I have seen thousands of people of goodwill work – not tirelessly, for they are often very tired, but unstoppably, to give our children hope.

There is no way I can thank them for the inspiration they have given me.

Nor do they work for thanks. But working together, for others, gives the greatest joy and fulfilment you will find, even if at times progress seems slower than a snail through talcum powder. you were old, at 65 you retired and then you died.

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

She’s keen to acknowledge that another

Let us give our children role models who do not, will not despair, no matter how long it takes to change the world.

And let us never surrender, no matter how tired we are, or how long it takes. Because with these weapons we shape the future of our planet.

Our nation and our planet face many different kinds of battles now. Let us fight them with the tools of kindness. Let us fight with scientific research, career has to be shaped around how you feel and your health during these years.

Jackie walks her talk.

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

Her short biography

and with determined voices to let that research be heard and used; with mentoring schemes; with determination every single day not to turn away from anyone in fear or need.

Let us fight with literacy programs so that by reading books every child can learn to understand each other, and themselves, so every child has the knowledge and imagination to say: this is the future and I will work for it.

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

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

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

6 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

From inside an earthquake to a big world of opportunities IF YOU want to help change the world, even a tiny little corner of it, or even change the conversation, Bruce Meder’s new book Opportunities Emerging: Social Change in a Complex World is not a bad place to start.

After a lifetime working in community development, the mathematician, social activist and earthquake survivor will launch his self-published book in Coffs Harbour on May 17.

Australian-born Bruce Meder was working for Christchurch City Council when the second major earthquake in six months struck the New Zealand city.

The 6.3 magnitude

February 2011 earthquake killed 185 people; injured thousands and caused widespread destruction.

Houses all around his seaside suburb of Redcliff were torn apart, flattened or left dangling precariously.

“Research showed that for those who got into helping straight away, their spirits spiked up and remained high for about a year, then dropped.

“Authorities dragged the chain, then wanted to impose authority – I don’t trust bureaucracy. People who get into those positions are often driven by ego.”

His experiences in the aftermath of the earthquake not only led to him eventually moving back to Australia, but helped him to crystallise

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the ideas that power this book, which Bruce said had been 40 years in the making.

“Community development is more than a job, it’s almost a lifestyle,” he said.

Describing himself as “not a big city person”, Bruce said he loved the Coffs Coast.

The book launch event will be held at 5–7pm on Wednesday, May 17 at Coffs Harbour’s Dark Arts Café in Cox Lane.

All interested people are invited to attend and Bruce said he was thankful for all the assistance with the launch he had received, especially from Glen, the owner of Dark Arts Cafe.

Further information Bruce’s Facebook page or his blog, rainbowjuice.org.

NEW BOOK: Author Bruce Meder with his book to be launched on May 17. PHOTO: BELINDA SCOTT

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The world of aged care has become very complex through recent reforms, for both older people and providers. It is obviously designed by bureaucrats with no lived experience of the world of aged care, involving real people. It is overly complicated.

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Instead of genuine care and respect for the contribution of older people to the foundations of our country, our current government is concerned with portals and gateways, income tested care fees, budgets, statements and contributions.

Enough people for a village you say? Well funny you should say that because that’s just what we are. We laugh together at the Grove Café, worship and remember together at Our Lady of the Way Chapel, celebrate together on special occasions and above all, we care for each other.

Providers are being forced to move their thinking from care, compassion and empathy to financial sustainability and business acumen. This is a challenge to those of us who care, and who joined this sector to make a difference, not ration services and burden our clients.

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Coffs and Clarence

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 7

Clarence Care + Support for Seniors Celebrating National Volunteers Week +

+

Kerry Little, Manager, Care + Support Services

Karen Waterhouse Home care senior program co-ordinator WERE you aware that your skin is classed as one of largest organs in your body?

The role is extremely important, as it regulates our body temperature and protects against many harmful things such as germs, heat/cold and sunlight.

Regrettably, sun exposure is one of the most damaging things we can do to our skin.

Melanoma is a word that we commonly associate with sun-damaged skin, however until it directly affects you or a family member, we do not properly pay attention to the warning signs.

Australia has the highest occurrence of melanoma in the word with more than 30 people being diagnosed with this type of skin cancer every day.

A melanoma can occur anywhere on the body and often doesn’t have any symptoms.

A change in appearance to an existing mole or the appearance of a new spot are the most common signs.

Although the causes of melanoma are not fully understood, it is widely known that overexposure to UV radiation, commonly suns rays, will significantly increase a person’s risk.

Prevention is the best cure.

Protecting ourselves from the damaging effects of the suns rays is the most important thing that we can do to help prevent this serious form of skin cancer.

Sunscreen, hat and protective clothing, even on cloudy days, are vitally important.

Huge advancements in the treatment of these types of cancers have been undertaken by researchers both here in Australia and overseas.

If a melanoma is detected early it can be effectively treated.

Therefore, it is very important for everyone to have a regular skin check with their GP at least every 12 months.

Persons over the age of 50, family history of melanoma, depressed immune system, fair skin or an increased number of unusual moles are all at greater risk of developing this common, but preventable skin cancer.

When in doubt – check it out!

If you require any further information about skin cancer awareness and melanoma, please go to the Cancer Council of Australia website, www.cancer.org.au.

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Phone: 02 6645 0400

HELLO to everyone.

This month we celebrate National Volunteers Week from May 8–14.

A huge thank you to all who volunteer their time and skills in our community.

They are vital for community-based services but also in schools, sporting clubs, animal welfare, looking after our environment and much more.

Our service relies on volunteers to help with meal deliveries, driving, skills development, events and social support such as visiting people at home.

Thalia has been a volunteer for more than 15 years with Clarence Care + Support, and believes volunteering is a great way to meet people.

“It’s only a couple of hours out of your day once a week or once a month; it’s up to you how much time you can spare,” Thalia said.

“I would really miss it if I wasn’t doing it any more.”

Who volunteers?

Women 38% and men 34%.

Age – mostly 35 to 65 year olds.

More people volunteer in rural areas compared to the city.

Sport and recreation has the highest rate of volunteering at 37%.

Why do people volunteer?

About 57% of people say they volunteer to help others and their community.

This is followed by personal satisfaction.

All the best to the volunteers helping our community and our thanks go to the emergency service volunteers helping in the far north coast and Queensland at this time.

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CLARENCE CARE: Our volunteer Thalia McPherson with our trainee Mykala Ferguson.

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8 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Home for happy pet Tracey Johnstone

WHEN renovating a house or building a new one, taking into account the needs of a pet can make a significant difference to the relationship a person has with their four-legged friends.

Harlock Jackson director and town planner Virginia Jackson’s Four Legs, Four Walls report provides a comprehensive guide for anyone wanting tips in home design when accounting for dogs and cats.

Here are a few of Ms Jackson’s recommendations.

Maximise the space available for pets ■ The quality of the space is more important than the quantity. This is important for animals living in more compact housing.

■ Add vertical places or climbing trees for cats, who are natural climbers.

Ideally, provide pets with outdoor space ■ If available, dogs and

cats will benefit from access to some outdoor space.

■ It’s not necessary for most breeds. They can be kept inside, providing care is paid to environmental enrichment, regular exercise and a quality indoor environment.

A safe and comfortable environment ■ Pets need adequate shelter and ventilation.

■ A security screen over an outside access door can help with ventilation while confining a pet.

■ Warm spots to enjoy during cooler days and shade during the hotter days should be considered for both cats and dogs.

■ Quiet places around the home are particularly popular with cats.

■ For aged or infirm pets, consideration should be given to their negotiation of stairs and slippery floors, and the use of an open stairway.

■ Separate where a cat’s litter tray (laundry, garage, bathroom) and the cat’s

food bowl are located.

■ Dogs can be trained to use a litter tray.

Environmental enrichment ■ Provide your pets with toys that stimulate and exercise them.

■ Provide opportunities for a view of the outside world, but be aware of how your pet will react to any outside stimulus, with some pets finding it a source of anxiety and frustration.

Noise protection ■ Design can reduce the triggers for some forms of excessive barking.

■ Double glazing or thickened glass can help reduce the effect of barking.

■ Cats will look for quiet and isolated locations so they can get away from general noise and other pets.

■ Solid fences can reduce noise.

Internal courtyards and open space design ■ They provide daylight, sunlight and a small, confined outdoor space. If

PETS AND AGING: Harlock Jackson's Virginia Jackson with her friend, five-year-old Archie.

secure, it can be left open for ventilation.

■ A courtyard can a good place for both pets and people to share.

■ A fenced front yard provides additional outdoor area for a pet.

■ Landscaping should provide diversity in smell and form and include both soft and hard surfaces. It can also be used to reduce boundary

frustration for dogs when two dogs live side by side.

■ Care should be taken with balconies to protect against cats falling.

Windows ■ Well-designed and well-located windows are important for environmental enrichment, particularly for pets kept indoors for long periods.

■ If there are no

windowsills, then placing a chair near a window can help a pet gain a welcome outside view.

■ It is important for a person to be able to close off a view with window furnishings if a pet gets distressed by an outside view.

■ Fresh air is important to pets, but ensure the open window does not pose a security issue.

Glorious colours await Coffs Botanic Gardens open day Belinda Scott

DIVE into colour at the Botanic Garden on May 28.

PHOTO: BELINDA SCOTT

NATIONAL Botanic Gardens Open Day on Sunday, May 28 will see a new special event at the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden.

In co-ordination with other botanic gardens around Australia, Coffs Harbour’s Garden will roll out the welcome mat from 9am–4pm on May 28.

Friends of the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden president Bron Fox said it would be the first time the garden had joined in the event, in which botanic gardens and arboretums throughout Australia and New Zealand celebrated the important work they did for plant conservation.

There will be a plant fair, workshops,

stalls, displays, demonstrations, plant sales and children’s events.

Bron said there would even be insect hotels which would be sure to intrigue children.

The insect hotels are being designed by the garden’s operations manager Rick Ackland.

“I’ve got a mud wasp in my insect hotel,” Bron said.

There will be bee keepers along with the Coffs Harbour Garden Club, Orchid Society, Bonsai Society and other organisations, with information about their activities.

Guided tours of the garden and the people mover will be on hand for transportation.

There will also be a barbecue and the cafe will be open.

Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand Inc launched the national open day last year.

“We want as many people as possible to come along, enjoy the day and perhaps buy a nice plant,” Bron said.

“This is our first toe in the water for this event although the garden did have a botanica event some years ago.”

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Seniors 9

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

So what if I’m 90, I won’t pass up motorbike races

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stuart broke a world speed record last year at Lake Gairdner when he raced his modified 1959 Velocette to 193.061mph.

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

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

“I thought, ‘s**t, I can do this’.

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

Stuart will be alongside Peter early next year as

they push their motorcycles against the clock on Lake Gairdner, which is located about 150km north-west of Port Augusta.

It’s a large, dry salt lake

about 130km long and 32km wide.

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

“Then you have to go from dustpan down onto a landing where it is shallow salt and follow a platform which goes out until it’s solid enough for a car to be on.”

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

There are laser beams about half a mile apart on

the track that are used to record speeds at the critical judging time.

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

Among the international field of participants this year was a blindfolded rider, Ben Felten, who achieved 125mph, so why not a 90-year-old who has mastered the ocean and now wants to master the lake?

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

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

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Tracey Johnstone

10 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Elder abuse: Why does it happen?

ELDER ABUSE: The reason it occurs are multifaceted.

PHOTO: POOKPIIK

Tracey Johnstone

THE REASONS elder abuse happens and is perpetuated are complex and confronting.

There is no starting point to explain it. Rather, it’s a large web of often interconnected issues.

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

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

Age Discrimination Commissioner Dr Kay Patterson said there are myriad causes.

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

“Sometimes it starts with the best of intent, but it deteriorates.

“Sometimes its sinister from the beginning.

“It’s a multitude of factors and sometimes its slides from one to other.”

Inheritance Impatience The Australian Institute of Family Studies in their November 2016 report

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

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

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

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

“A person has a power of attorney document and goes to the bank and says they can act on an older

person’s bank account,” Dr Patterson said.

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

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

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

“They constantly talk about (older Australians) being an economic burden.”

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

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

Information on seniors’ rights and elder abuse, Lifeline on 13 11 44, or 1800 RESPECT or talk to your GP.

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Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 11

Living Craft helps awaken creative minds

WARM TOUCH: Dougherty Villa activities co-ordinator Ros Houlahan and craft group organiser Jenny Vickery with some of the varied and colourful work made by Warm Touch 2460 members.

PHOTO: BELINDA SCOTT

Grafton Hospital, Warm Touch 2460 has grown like topsy, with members now numbering more than 200 and spilling well outside the 2460 postcode.

Linked by their public Facebook group, members make and donate needed items.

Spread throughout the Clarence Valley and Coffs Coast and even further afield, they meet rarely but share a common purpose.

Some members make Knitted Knockers, special soft knitted cotton inserts for breast cancer patients, while others make knitted or crocheted rugs, beanies, scarves, bags and soft toys.

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They make booties for babies and chemotherapy kits for cancer patients; rugs for renal patients and chilly Community Transport travellers; toys for sick children and hosts Yarn Bombs to provide warm things to homeless people.

Their creative minds, busy hands and whirring sewing machines see them turning wool and fabrics into a host of colourful and welcome items to wear and use.

Some of their work goes to make gift baskets or raffle prizes to raise money for local causes Ros Houlahan, who was a guest at the April craft morning, spoke to the members about the importance of stimulating sensory experiences for nursing home residents, praised their work and was delighted with the selection she was given to take away for her residents.

“It’s so lovely to hear

about those things, we all love doing it,” Jane Berger said.

“We’re going to be there one day and I want things to play with,” Jenny Vickery said.

Jenny explained that they were able to send their work anywhere to those who needed it by using the family and work connections of members and their families and friends.

“We couldn’t afford postage,” she said.

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BUTTONS, baubles and bows are being supplemented by zips, laces and buckles in an unusual craft project designed to make life more interesting for people experiencing dementia.

Twiddle muffs, sewn with all kinds of objects from everyday life, are designed to stimulate the part of the brain that recognises these familiar objects.

The recognition can in turn awaken responses.

Grafton’s Pat Hewitt embarked on making twiddle muffs after she heard about a group making them on the south coast last year.

“You knit something that looks like half a sleeve and you start with all different yarns and patterns, then you decorate them,” Pat said.

“I put all sorts of weird and wonderful things on them.

“I get big buttons and other bits and pieces from the op shop.

“I make them while I’m watching tele.

“Apparently they have created in some patients the possibility of talking for the first time in years.”

Pat has donated her first batch of twiddle muffs to Grafton’s Dougherty Villa’s activities co-ordinator Ros Houlahan.

The project has been a welcome distraction for 91-year-old Pat, who is recovering from an eye infection and a stroke

which has affected her writing as well as many of her other activities, Previously proud of her penmanship, Pat describes her current writing style as “like a spider crawling across an ink blot”.

Twiddle muffs have now caught the imagination of Grafton-based support group Warm Touch 2460.

Warm Touch members, who held their first craft gathering at the South Grafton home of member Suzanne Boyle in early April, have added twiddle muffs to their list of projects for members’ busy hands.

They have expanded the idea to include twiddle pillows, twiddle toys and marble mazes for children in hospitals and care homes.

Started in 2015 by retiree Jenny Vickery to knit beanies and scarves for cancer patients at

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Belinda Scott

12 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Talk ‘n’ thoughts Hurdles, highjumps and solutions

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

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

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK GAIL FORRER

Group editor Seniors Newspapers network

women living alone.

To help understand why and create service options that create better health and well-being for

older women, the RDNS Institute has launched the Older Women Living Alone research project, funded by a $250,000 grant from the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation.

The two-year project, which started in January, will include analysis of 10 years of clinical data from more than 50,000 older women living alone in Melbourne as well as

interviews and forums with about 50 women aged 55 or older who live alone.

The interviews will identify barriers to service access and gaps in service provision, and the forums will bring women together with service providers to create services and strategies that address their high priority support needs.

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

“We will be looking at why that is – what are the barriers to accessing services that older women

are coming up against, and are there strategies that can be put in place to increase their access?

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

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

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

The sharp fall in home ownership has been revealed in a

new report, No place like home: the impact of declining home ownership on retirement.

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

The alarming findings

showed more and more Australians will be retiring either never owning their own home or carrying a hefty mortgage debt.

Written by independent economist Saul Eslake and commissioned by the

Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees, it also found we don’t compare well to the rest of the world — our home ownership rate is ranked at 27th globally, behind countries such as Romania, Croatia, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Sweden and Canada.

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

“We are on the cusp of seeing a significant increase in the number of people aged 65 and over

who still have some mortgage debt,’’ he said.

“Or, alternatively, what will continue to happen is that when people reach retirement age they use their super to pay off their mortgage.

“In turn, that will mean their super won’t do what it is meant to do.”

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

loans.

For those nearing retirement (aged 55–65), about 45% have mortgage debt, up from 29% in 1995–96.

And for homeowners over age 65, about 10% have outstanding debt, which has more than doubled from about 4% in 1995–96.

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

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Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Online

Seniors 13

www.seniorsnews.com.au

Think twice as you ask for help in online dealings Tracey Johnstone Journalist FAMILY and friends need to take care when they find themselves all too often being called upon to act as proxy internet users for older Australians.

For those older Australians who don’t have confident computer skills, they have to turn to someone for help.

Researchers from Monash University have found: “Proxy internet assistance often takes place within families –

notably elderly parents being helped by their adult sons and daughters.

“Other proxy users include people acting in a professional capacity – for example carers, social workers and other public-facing professionals who assist clients with specific online tasks.”

However, that assistance can place both people in difficult situations. A proxy should consider having a power of attorney so that they have legal permission and agreed guidelines on what financial and personal decisions they can make on behalf of the older person.

ONLINE PROXY: Care should be taken in acting in a online proxy role for older Australians.

PHOTO: DRAGONIMAGES

CHOICE also offers the following 10 tips if you’re acting for someone else on the net: ■ Record with screenshots and/or digital receipts your

payments and other transactions.

■ Email the family member with details of any transactions with dates and amounts.

■ If possible, get the

person to enter their login and password details themselves.

■ Record and share the procedures and routines that your proxy activities entail so they’re transparent.

■ If working remotely, consider using computer screen sharing software such as Join.Me or Team Viewer so both parties can see the transactions taking place.

■ Look for computer courses that you as the proxy and the person you’re representing can take together to both understand the internet and online services.

■ Set yourself up as an authorised user for

accounts such as bank accounts rather than impersonating the person.

■ Register as a nominee for government departments to access Centrelink, ATO and other accounts.

■ If your job requires you to act as a proxy, clarify your role and the legal protections in case anything goes wrong.

■ Obtain informed consent for any online activities and regularly discuss the arrangements and expectations with your family member.

For more information on proxy internet use, go to accan.org.au/tip-sheets/ using-the-internet-onbehalf-of-others.

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14 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

BREAST CANCER FEATURE

Meet nurse, advocate dedicated to her patients

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS: Lee Millard, Specialist Breast Nurse.

PHOTO: MID NORTH COAST CANCER INSTITUTE

LEE Millard is a Specialist Breast Nurse at the Mid North Coast Cancer Institute, Coffs Harbour.

She is a clinical nurse specialist with specific qualifications in breast care, breast cancer nursing, sexual and women’s health and lymphoedema.

Her role at the institute is to provide information and support to patients diagnosed with breast cancer and their carers from initial diagnosis and care in the acute setting through to follow up in the community.

Lee co-ordinates assessment clinics for Breastscreen North Coast, providing education, counselling and support to women recalled for assessment and during the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Another aspect of Lee’s work is the co-ordination of the Breast Cancer Connect breast cancer survivors volunteers who provide practical advice and emotional support to women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.

Lee said she enjoyed her job, with no two days at work ever being the same.

“A specialist breast nurse is advocate, friend, supporter, confidant, educator and counsellor – a unique role in nursing,” Lee said.

“As breast nurses we become part of the lives of people diagnosed with breast cancer and their loved ones at a particularly difficult time.

“A diagnosis may bring confusion, fear, anxiety, change and feelings of loss of control.

“I feel privileged that I am able to walk with the women (and men) diagnosed with breast cancer and their loved ones throughout their sometimes difficult journey.”

Lee added that the Coffs Harbour community was fortunate to have breast screening, support groups, dietitians, physiotherapists, counsellors and peer support volunteers to support local cancer survivors along the way.

“My job has also had a huge effect on my approach to life in general,” Lee said.

“My values have shifted over the years; I try not to sweat the small stuff and have little interest in material things.

“At the end of the day it’s about our connection with others that counts.”

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Lynne has a wealth of experience as she has been a part of The Hope Chest for more than 30

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Coffs and Clarence

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 15

BREAST CANCER FEATURE

Couple talk about their roller coaster cancer fight Alison Houston

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

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

“You have to focus on the good stuff.

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

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

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

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

That’s now on hold.

Their budget had literally

been banking on it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Research it. Own it.

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

Know the treatment and side effects.

Look for and allow the

blessings of other people and see the positives in life.

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

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

Mark agrees.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Early detection increases the treatment options available. All women over the age of 40 are eligible and women aged 50 to 74 are particularly encouraged to attend for their free 2 yearly mammogram. It takes just twenty minutes and can save their life. BreastScreen NSW North Coast provides free screening all year round at our BreastScreen Clinics located in Tweed Heads, Lismore, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie.

16 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

BREAST CANCER FEATURE

A long journey to innovative breast solution for cancer survivor Belinda Scott

TINA Graetz is lucky to be planning for a new house and some major travel with her husband.

Lucky because she was careful, so maybe luck did not have much to do with it after all.

Tina is a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed at 40 and only then because she always chose to have a mammogram every year.

Fit, funny and whippet slim, the hard-working Coffs Harbour chef, wife and mother didn’t have any symptoms, but she had a history of multiple cysts in her breasts, which she describes as “so many it was like rocky road”.

“The cancer diagnosis was a shock,” Tina said “I had a mammogram and two days later they said I have to have a biopsy and two days after that my life changed and everything was go, go, go.”

Tina said at the time, she didn’t give any thought to breast reconstruction.

“I was so upset over the cancer thing I said ‘just get it off’. “ I was so angry – why me?

“I was so young and I had no symptoms – even my doctor was surprised.”

She had chemotherapy

for six months after surgery “All my long hair fell out.

“It felt like something was pulling my hair non-stop, then the next day it all fell off – it was very upsetting. Since then I have kept it short.

Although she had cancer in only one breast, she decided to have a double mastectomy and have both breasts removed.

“I thought (the cancer) was going to go to the other side and I had a friend who had one breast off and then said it did not feel right.

“I thought that’s it, I don’t want reconstruction.”

But two years later, with surgery and chemotherapy well behind her, Tina said she became frustrated with being unable to find clothes to suit her.

“T-shirts didn’t seem to fit nicely and I would see myself in the mirror and feel upset,” Tina said.

“I was unhappy and it made me depressed.”

She talked to her GP who sent her to local surgeon Dr Bill Ross.

Dr Ross referred her on to Sydney-based specialist plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Ellis Choy, who visits Coffs Harbour on a monthly basis.

Because of her tiny frame, which has not a

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS: Tina Graetz is happy to be able to face her mirror and wear her favourite clothes once again.

PHOTO: BELINDA SCOTT

gram of fat on it, she did not have any spare body tissue for a plastic surgeon to use in re-creating new breasts, posing a challenge for the surgeon.

Dr Choy designed and carried out a staged plan which involved gradually expanding the skin of her chest wall; creating a hammock using donated tissue from America and finally adding implants.

Tina was one of the first Australian patients to have the procedure using the specially-prepared donated tissue.

Multiple procedures were involved and Tina said the chest expansion, carried out in stages, was painful for the first few days each time, but otherwise she had little pain.

“I am very happy with the result, especially with

Dr Choy, who was very caring always,” Tina said.

“He told me it was going to be painful, but that my body would get used to it.

“It took about one year from the first referral to when it was all done and he explained everything to me.”

She is happy that she delayed her breast reconstruction, but now wants to move on,

although she is willing to talk about her experiences to other women faced with the same decisions.

She is deeply thankful for the support given to her by her husband and her friends, and her top piece of advice to others is not to go it alone.

“Make sure you have someone to talk to, so you never feel alone and can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The local group shows there is life after cancer THE Grafton Breast Cancer Support Group was established by the late Joan Thompson in 2004. The group provides a place where survivors of breast cancer, their families and carers can share.

The group has hosted

pamper days for men and women who have battled cancer at the Gumtree Retreat, Kungala. The funding was secured via a grant from the Cancer Council.

With fundraising, the group help survivors and their families in the

Clarence Valley in practical ways, paying for lymphodema sleeves, wigs for our local Oncology Wig Library, cooked meals, flowers, cards, home help and transport costs.

Funds are also raised through selling Breast

Cancer Network Australia pink lady pins and holding raffles and stalls.

At Grafton’s fun Jacaranda Thursday Market Day in November, the group sold succulents.

In 2010, local rugby league club the Grafton Ghosts became sponsors.

Each year a Pink Footy Day happens at their grounds, where they compete against the South Grafton Rebels.

The group also provides information from the national network, the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the

Cancer Council.

For more, contact co-ordinator Janette Nethercott 0405 122 028 or janette@flaminbeads. com.

Meetings are held on the first Friday of the month at South Grafton Ex Servicemen’s Club, 10am.

Coffs and Clarence

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 17

BREAST CANCER FEATURE

First-class care gives local women reassurance SPECIALIST breast and plastic surgeon Dr Ellis Choy, has had a particular interest in working with breast cancer patients for more than 10 years.

Dr Choy has been visiting Coffs Harbour on a monthly basis for more than six years and much of his work in Coffs Harbour has related to breast reconstruction for women who have had surgery for breast cancer.

He said it was important for women undertaking breast cancer treatment to be reassured that they would receive first-class care locally in Coffs Harbour.

“I realised there was a need – that it was not just about cutting the cancer out. It is about cure and it is also about care.”

Dr Choy said he began focusing on breast and skin oncology and reconstructive surgery while he was undertaking

postgraduate studies at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, after graduating from Sydney University in 1997.

In 2004, Dr Choy completed sub-specialty training in both breast surgery (at the Sydney Breast Cancer Institute) and surgical oncology (at the Sydney Melanoma Unit, now known as the Melanoma Unit Australia) and gained his first fellowship with the Royal Australian College of Surgeons. He undertook advanced surgical training and was awarded a National Breast Cancer Foundation scholarship for his 2005 Master of Surgery thesis on patient preferences in multi-disciplinary breast care. His thesis examined the standard of multidisciplinary care in breast cancer treatment, which involved assessment by a group of specialists,

❝

CURE AND CARE: Specialist breast and plastic surgeon Dr Ellis Choy.

including surgeons and radiologists.

Dr Choy said not every former breast cancer patient was suitable for reconstructive surgery and it was his job to assist them in making the right choice and then to guide them through what was a multi-stage process.

“It is all about technique and timing,” he

said.

Some women who have discovered they have genetic markers for breast cancer are choosing to have preventive surgery and to have their breasts removed in case they develop cancer at a later stage.

“Each patient needs a treatment option best suited to them and at the end of the day, it is not

It is important for women undertaking breast cancer treatment, to be reassured that they will receive first class care locally in Coffs Harbour. about me, it is about my patient,” Dr Choy said.

He holds dual Royal Australian College of Surgeons Fellowships, in general surgery, with a focus on breast and skin oncology and in plastic surgery, with a focus on breast, body and face work. Dr Choy carries out a full range of plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures at Coffs Harbour’s Baringa Private Hospital, as well as

operating at a number of private Sydney hospitals, and he has a specialist nurse to tend to local patients between his visits to Coffs Harbour.

Dr Choy said successful plastic surgery required both artistic and surgical skills, combined with the latest medical technologies and techniques, and it was vital in his role as a plastic surgeon to have a deep and empathetic understanding of his patients.

“It is important to explore why they want to have this surgery in the first place,” he said.

Dr Choy is a member of a number of national and international surgical organisations and has an appointment at Sydney’s Concord Hospital and sees patients at Coffs Harbour Surgical in Albany St, on a monthly basis.

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18 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

BREAST CANCER FEATURE

Mastectomy garment Comfort Kit will soothe assists with showering side effect of treatment

THE Shower Shirt is designed to be used post-breast surgery, protecting against water intrusion to the drain sites.

It is made of a durable, anti-microbial treated, waterproof type material with unlimited shelf life and is machine washable. The shirt can be used during the post-operative recuperative period, or only while drain or catheters are in place.

The edges are elasticised so it fits snuggly against the skin on the arms, waist and neck.

The neck is lined with microfibre, to absorb water drops, with a Velcro strap and drawstring under the jaw line to assure an extra tight fit. It has a front zip with a weather flap and capped sleeves. The shirt also has drain pockets to host

DURABLE: The Shower Shirt is a creative solution to managing showering after surgery.

drain bulbs and velcro loops that support the wrapping and holding of the drain tubes.

The shirt extends two to four inches below the breast line. It fits loosely

across the chest, torso and under-arms to avoid pressure on drains sites and surgical areas.

The Shower Shirt is sold online via: www.theshowershirt.com.

COMFORT Kits are designed to be used during the time breast cancer patients are receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

They contain chemotherapy-friendly personal care products, Australian-made where possible, which are used to ease and soothe the more common side effects of chemotherapy or radiation. ★The kits contain the following: ■ Mouthwash - soothing, gentle, moisturising and alcohol-free, and a toothbrush - soft is recommended.

■ Jelly beans - for that awful metallic taste you can get in your mouth, and peppermints - for nausea..

■ Lip balm - for dry, cracked or sore lips.

■ Straws - To help when the mouth is sore.

■ Nausea band - the natural way to ease a

queasy stomach.

■ Sick bags - so you won’t be caught out, handy for the glove box or handbag.

■ Face masks to prevent catching the flu.

■ Hand sanitiser - to kill germs that may cause illness, when hand washing isn’t an option.

■ Heat pack - for all those aches and pains.

■ Shampoo non-drying, CARE AND SUPPORT: Don't let your loved non-soap, and one start chemotherapy without a a hair net.

Comfort Kit. ■ Non-slip socks - for those cold slippery hospital floors. scarf.

■ Moisturising cream - for ■ A toiletries bag. red, swollen, painful and To order a Comfort Kit even cracked skin. for you, a family member ■ Tissues, digital or a friend, go to thermometer, a 100% silk www.comfortkits.com.au

Hop on community bus and get to your treatment Catch the bus with Community Transport GETTING to Coffs Harbour for medical appointments will now be easier for Nambucca Valley residents with the introduction of a new bus shuttle service run by Coffs Harbour, Bellingen & Nambucca Community Transport (CBNCT).

The Nambucca-Coffs Bus Shuttle will depart on a daily basis, picking CBNCT passengers up from their home to their appointment in Coffs Harbour. The bus will then return the passengers safely home after they have received medical treatment.

Chief executive officer Bethany Simmonds says the new shuttle service is another way our elderly and disabled clients can maintain their independence and remain in their homes for as long as possible.

“This service is a flexible option to travel to Coffs Harbour for our passengers, as our drivers can assist passengers directly to their appointment and return,” Ms Simmonds

Ned Mawby is the bus shuttle driver for the service run by Coffs Harbour, Bellingen & Nambucca Community Transport (CBNCT).

said.

The bus has been modified to allow the elderly and people living

with a disability to travel in comfort in a larger bus.

“In the past, passengers have been

taken to their appointments in five-seater vehicles, which can be difficult to

accommodate a number of wheelie walkers or disability aids. The bus is a much larger vehicle

making the trip more comfortable and increasing safety for our passengers,” she said.

Bookings are a must, CBNCT encourages its Nambucca Valley passengers looking for travel in the future to contact our southern office in Macksville on 1300 812 504. It is important that bookings are made well in advance, although last minute travel can be arranged where possible but cannot be guaranteed.

“This is just one of many services we provide in the Nambucca Valley as an affordable option for the community. We cater for the whole community, however some of our passengers will receive discounted travel depending on their needs and criteria to meet funding requirements.”

The change will also allow CBNCT to provide extra services to the community on a local level in towns such as Nambucca Heads and Macksville and more isolated regional areas such as Bowraville, Scotts Head and Stuarts Point.

Coffs and Clarence

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 19

BREAST CANCER FEATURE

Practical tips for post breast cancer Tracey Johnstone

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

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

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

For survivors ■ Life’s short; move forward.

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

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

treatment, look forward, don’t look back.

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

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

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

❝

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

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

She said she was knocked around by her breast and ovarian

MOVING ON: BCNA ambassador Raelene Boyle.

PHOTOS: BREAST CANCER NETWORK AUSTRALIA

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

It is 21 years since she was first diagnosed.

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

emotional Ms Boyle said.

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

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

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

Caring hands by post-operative physio C offs H a r b o u r and surrou n d i n g areas MEDICAL WIGS:

A variety of styles and colours with a caring, understanding approach to hair loss due to medical reasons. Wig caps, accessories, education and private consultations available.

CHRISTINE HEADWEAR:

Stockists of Christine Headwear. Beautiful scarves, turbans, headwraps, sleep wear and swim wear.

FASHION WIGS:

Never have a ‘bad hair day’ again! Instantly ready for that special event or just a change in style and colour.

WIG WISE is a stockist for the high quality ‘Luxury Wigs’ at affordable prices.

A portion of all sales are donated to various cancer and Alopecia Areata causes throughout Australia.

EDUCATE AND ENCOURAGE: Physiotherapist, Faye Wiffen.

through the early stages with specific exercises to maintain their mobility and regain a speedy return to all their normal activities.

Her skills as a Hand Therapist is reflected in the early education she gives regarding scar therapy- how to best massage once wound has healed and what does and does not work to avoid tethering of the scar and

improve its aesthetics.

Faye is a firm advocate of initially avoiding complications by sound advice and education, but if a problem does arise then advices to seek advice early on regarding any shoulder or hand problems. That way the underlying cause can be addressed for a more speedy recovery.

Phone: 6651 1745.

Michelle 0434 243 024 Email: wigwise@outlook.com

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FOR nearly two decades now Faye Wiffen, physiotherapist, has been attending to Dr Ross’s patients at Baringa Hospital following their mastectomy / lumpectomy and axillary clearances [removal of lymph nodes].

Faye has a personal understanding and empathy for those with breast cancer having herself lost a close relative to it. Her role is to educate and encourage early active movement of the arm following surgery to avoid some of the possible complications such as Adhesive Capsulitis [Frozen Shoulder], or lymphoedema [swelling of the arm].

As owner of Coffs Shoulder to Hand Clinic, this fits in perfectly with her speciality area of treating the Upper Limb, with Faye being the only Internationally Certified Hand Therapist and member of SEPA [Shoulder & Elbow Physio’s of Australia] from Newcastle to the Gold Coast.

With her extensive knowledge and experience she guides patients

20 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

BREAST CANCER FEATURE

Two ladies give you full support TRISH Dahl and Janell Rose have known each other for seven years.

Their special friendship has been bonded by a shared passion for breast care fitting.

Together they have over 25 years of combined experience and knowledge in the lingerie industry.

In 2013 it made sense that the two should open their first lingerie boutique together in Grafton and then their second store in the Coffs Coast region one year later.

Both stores are named A Comfortable Bra and stock bras, camisoles, night wear,

body suits, swimwear, hosiery, slips and maternity wear.

Aside from providing quality lingerie, Janell and Trish are passionate about breast cancer support.

Both ladies agree the most important thing to them is making breast cancer survivors feel more comfortable, confident and beautiful within themselves.

Since day one, they have been providing an expert, discreet and caring fitting service for women who have had mastectomies and they are pleased to have

many repeat customers who say “we return to A Comfortable Bra time and time again because of the comfortable, relaxing and supported ambience”.

The fitting service takes place in a private, comfortable and luxurious area with three spacious fitting rooms.

Janell and Trish are happy to introduce customers to their large range of breast cancer support lingerie including prosthetic bras, head wear, swimwear and night wear.

Their range includes some of the best brands

such as Amoena and Berlei.

You will also find, exclusive to A Comfortable Bra, the exquisite Christine Headwear, a range of Danish-designed headwear products made to provide women with a real choice in hair coverings, with proceeds donated to Look Good Feel Better cancer campaign.

Trish and Janell invite you to visit them in their Grafton or Sawtell boutiques for the opportunity to feel beautiful during a difficult time.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS: The team from A Comfortable Bra, Trish Dahl and Janell Rose.

Expert tips for reducing the risk of breast cancer TAKE it from an expert, there are some ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Former President of the Australasian Society of

Breast Physicians, Dr Deborah Pfeiffer, has spent her recent working life in the field of women’s breast cancer.

She is passionate

about seeing women be proactive in the management of their risk of breast cancer through one or more of the following strategies.

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■ The majority of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer don’t have a family history of the disease. Know yours, particularly first-degree relatives.

■ That equates to 80 to 90% of women who develop breast cancer.

■ However, it is still valuable for families to have an open discussion about their health issues; and not just about breast cancer, but also about bowel, ovary, lymphoma and melanoma cancers.

■ This is often an incredibly hard conversation to have as it is intimate to the core, but the outcomes of getting that information out in the open will help everyone in the family build a health picture for the future.

■ Every woman should know their family’s breast cancer history, particularly their first-degree relatives.

See more Amoena body wear throughout this feature

6651 6216

FAMILY HISTORY

BREAST AWARENESS

Providing a better quality of life for women following breast surgery.

SAWTELL Shop 33, First Ave

Here are some ways to help reduce the risk of breast cancer:

■ For women with very strong family incidences, genetic counselling is recommended.

■ This doesn’t entail testing; it’s just about establishing eligibility for testing through a risk analysis.

■ A strong family history is two or more first-or second-degree relatives

on the same side of the family, especially if aged 50 or less, diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer.

WEIGHT

■ Be in a healthy weight range which is between 20 and 25 Body Max Index (BMI).

■ It is recommended that women try to maintain a BMI of 28 or less.

■ A GP can determine a person’s BMI.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

■ Recommendation is 30 minutes of activity, three to four times a week.

■ Any is better than none.

More is better than less.

The critical factor is being mobile, Dr Pfeiffer said.

■ Check out the Cancer Council or Heart Foundation websites for ideas on how to get active.

ALCOHOL INTAKE

■ Restrict alcohol to an average of less than one standard drink per day.

■ A standard drink is any drink containing 10 grams of alcohol. One standard drink always contains the same amount of alcohol regardless of container size or alcohol type, that is beer, wine, or spirit.

MINIMISE HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY ■ HRT relates particularly to women with a strong family history.

■ Dr Pfeiffer said there is a risk of breast cancer for women on HRT, but that risk varies with the type of treatment; it tends to be highest for women on

combination treatment and slightly higher for women who are only taking oestrogen.

■ However, the disease progression and survival for women diagnosed with breast cancer tends to be as good as, if not better, than for women who are not on HRT. This outcome she said could however relate to an earlier diagnosis as the HRT-taking women tend to be more breast aware.

ANTI-OESTROGEN

■ This is for women with a strong family history of oestrogen-receptive positive breast cancer, which is a common type.

■ There are two medications on the market which are used to treat breast cancer, called tamoxifen and raloxifene, which have been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer by a significant amount. The down-side of this treatment is it induces the symptoms of menopause.

PROPHYLACTIC SURGERY

■ Women who have a very strong family history or a genetic positive result, prophylactic mastectomy and, or removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries, is an option.

OTHER RISK REDUCERS

Where possible, try not prolong the decision to have children and when you have them, do breastfeed. More info: cancercouncil.com.au.

Coffs and Clarence

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 21

BREAST CANCER FEATURE

Beware of blue addition to pink of breast cancer

Making a positive difference to male breast cancer sufferers IN A sea of breast cancer pink, two men stand out as they turn up the volume on the conversation about men’s breast cancer.

Rod Ritchie, 66, and Rob Fincher, 59, are two of some 150 Australian men diagnosed each year with breast cancer, which for most people is known as a women’s disease.

“Being a male in a largely female dominated disease it is hard at first,” Mr Fincher said.

“You feel emasculated, but you come to terms with that eventually.”

They found initially all the support publications talked about women-only issues; there was nothing for males to relate to until now.

Both men are working with the Breast Cancer Network Australia and

through their own website, advocating for recognition and support for men who make up less than 1% of the people diagnosed with breast cancer.

They believe males have been left behind in the breast cancer discussion, but that this can change.

De-gendering the breast cancer language, building a sense of inclusion of men into the breast cancer community, providing support material suitable for men, conducting research into male breast cancer, including men with BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 gene positive into the screening program and adding some blue to the ongoing pink promotions are all strategies both men believe will make a

family had a history of breast cancer, but not his immediate family.

“I wasn’t aware there was a male disposition to breast cancer even after having that (family) knowledge,” he said.

Both men went through gene testing with Mr Ritchie the only one found to have a variation on the BRCA-1 gene.

Mr Fincher’s wife first identified something was wrong with his right nipple, commenting that it had inverted.

“I went to the GP who mis-diagnosed. He just thought it was cyst,” he said.“He said I could get it operated on so I made an appointment with the surgeon.

“The surgeon said he didn’t do cysts and I would have to find out what it is.

“As soon as I had the further tests, it showed up it was quite advanced.”

BREAST FRIENDS: Breast cancer patients Rod Ritchie and Rob Fincher.

PHOTO: TRACEY JOHNSTONE

positive difference to male breast cancer sufferers.

“We are starting the conversation,” they both said.

“I want to get the message out there that as males, because we don’t realise we can get it we don’t look for it, we are diagnosed late and our outcomes are much worse,” Mr Fincher said.

“I don’t want people following me, to go

through what I have gone through.”

Mr Ritchie’s mother had breast cancer when her son was about 10.

She died at 41.

The image of his mother with scar tissue where one breast should have been remains with him to this day.

“I didn’t know men got breast cancer until I got it,” he said.

Mr Fincher’s extended

Mr Fincher’s breast cancer then metastasised, going to his lungs and spots on his bones.

Mr Ritchie had a mammogram 10 years before and a cyst was found.

“When I felt something this time, I thought it’s probably another cyst, but I better get it checked out,” he said.

The suspected cyst turned out to be aggressive breast cancer.

He is now being treated for prostate cancer.

A few changes to the community’s approach to male breast cancer have begun with the BCNA recently degenderising its help text and booklets, and establishing a policy to always say “women and men”.

For more information about breast cancer awareness and beyond, visit: www.malebc.org.

your local pathology provider (02) 6648 2100

Our Collection Centres are located at: Coffs Harbour 42 Gordon Street 343 Pacific Highway Park Beach Plaza 253 Pacific Highway 113 West High Street

(02) 6651 8018 (02) 6652 4753 (02) 6650 0633 (02) 6652 2033

Macksville 7 Star Street

(02) 6568 1049

Sawtell 71 First Avenue

We are pleased to provide you and your referring practitioner with a pathology service of the highest clinical, ethical and scientific standard while upholding the principle of excellence in service.

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(02) 6569 5511

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22 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

BREAST CANCER FEATURE

Need for healing options CANCER coaches, the new thinking in for health professionals supporting cancer sufferers, are starting to operate overseas, but in Australia it’s a service that hasn’t taken off yet.

“Cancer coaching is new terminology and it’s probably where we will be heading in the future,” occupational therapist Denise Stewart, from Breast and Shoulder, said.

“It’s only in the last few years that this has started to come into practice.”

In America the concept of cancer coaches, who develop and oversee individualised rehabilitation programs, is gaining momentum.

But in Australia, because the focus has been on helping people to survive breast cancer, rehabilitation has stayed under the radar, Ms Stewart said.

“There has always been a medical plan, but there hasn’t been a rehab and recovery plan,” Ms Stewart said.

Breast cancer patients have previously been

offered look good and feel good post-surgery options, but no structure has been developed around ensuring they are rehabilitating well.

She is now arguing patients need a structured rehabilitation and recovery model that uses appropriately trained professionals in the role of a cancer coach.

Ms Stewart also argues that due to the complexity of the surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, health professionals should receive training that covers those issues.

“At the moment it’s being offered as postgraduate training run by private providers,” she said.

While rehabilitation programs remain unstructured and their responsibility floating somewhere between the oncologist and the surgeon, many patients are using a peer-support model, not a rehab and recovery model.

This often means patients are using

CANCER COACHING: Occupational therapist, Denise Stewart.

therapists for alternative services that have been suggested to them by a friend or family member, and that doesn’t

necessarily mean the service is the right one for the patient.

Foundation96.com is one of the first of the

online services in Australia. Other free online resources are the Australian Survivorship Centre petermac.org/

services/supportservices/australiancancer-survivorship-centre and www.findingmy way.org.au.

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Coffs and Clarence

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 23

BREAST CANCER FEATURE

Getting check ups after 70

Think again about when to have test

Tracey Johnstone

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spotlight on metastatic cancer

DRUG PUSH: Breast Cancer Network Australia chief executive officer Christine Nolan.

credentialed

Hand THerapisT • • • • • • • •

Thumb pain • Wrist pain Dislocations • Fractures Arthritis • Trigger finger Carpal tunnel • Tennis elbow Bursitis • Rotator Cuff Tears Tendon/nerve repairs Joint replacements Neck pain • Strengthening

cancer,” BCNA chief executive officer Christine Nolan said.

“One of our focuses now is metastatic cancer,” Ms Nolan said.

“This is cancer that has spread from their breast and perhaps gone to their brain, liver, bones, lungs, which are the most common sites. It will kill them ultimately.”

Ms Nolan said this group had not had the focus that people with

ordinary breast cancer, who can be treated most successfully, had had.

“Survival rates are at 90% where 20 years ago they were at 72%.

There have been massive improvements,” she said.

But for the people whose breast cancer has spread to other parts and face a grim prognosis, there is less for them, she said.

If palbociclib is included on the PBS it becomes an

affordable option to treat hormone receptor positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer, extending the time before the cancer spreads and it does not result in common cancer treatment side-effects such as hair loss and nausea.

On May 12, BCNA is hosting a meeting of members of Australian cancer support groups to talk about establishing a metastatic cancer alliance.

As physio’s we understand more than most how important your hands are- hence we take any injury or dysfunction involving your wrists or hands seriously. We are experts in understanding the complex interplay of joint, ligament, muscle and neural activity.

•

Is that ‘shoulder pain’ you experience lifting your arm overhead actually coming your thoracic spine [mid-back]?

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Can you avoid shoulder surgery for a torn rotator cuff by targeted exercises?

Our therapists regularly attend national as well as international hand conferences and education courses in order to keep abreast of best treatment approaches. Faye is the only local member of SEPA [Shoulder and Elbow Physiotherapists of Australia], and has also passed her international exam to be the only Credentialed Hand Therapist from Newcastle to the Gold Coast. Both Sean and Faye are members of the Australian Hand Therapy Association.

Through an educated and experienced eye we can thoroughly assess and guide you through rehab following any injury or chronic condition of the hand, elbow or shoulder to maximise your recovery and function.

Please always take any hand injury seriously, and seek advice sooner than later Ring to talk to our expert Physio Hand Therapists or arrange an appointment

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EXTENDING the life of an Australian with metastatic breast cancer is possible with a new drug and better support services.

Breast Cancer Network Australia needs support in its bid to convince the government to add palbociclib to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

“We have made incredible strides in how people are treated and supported when they are diagnosed with breast

24 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Finance

Get ready for super changes

WITH the introduction of superannuation reforms, some of the rules around super contributions and the tax breaks available will change from July 1, 2017.

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

Here’s what’s changing: 1. Concessional contributions – before-tax contributions or contributions for which a tax deduction was claimed ■ The concessional contributions cap is reducing to $25,000 for all individuals (currently $30,000 or $35,000 depending on individual’s age) ■ An additional 15%

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

tax will apply to concessional contributions where individual’s income plus concessional contributions exceed $250,000 pa (currently $300,000 pa) ■ It will be possible to make personal

tax-deductible super contributions up to the cap regardless of employment status (currently subject to 10% test) ■ If the concessional contributions cap is not fully used, from July 1, 2018 it may be possible

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

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

GET YOUR PERSONAL

FINANCES SORTED WITH AN A-Z REVIEW®

An A-Z Review® is a complimentary one-on-one conversation with one of our banking specialists who can explore your current personal and business financial situation and future goals, to find financial solutions that may suit you. Simply visit or contact ANZ Coffs Harbour to speak to one of our specialists today.

ALICIA VINES Financial Planner

BRUCE FISHER Branch Manager

ARON GREWAL Senior Personal Banker

Cnr Harbour Dr & Gordon St, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450 (02) 8046 0000 Branch-CoffsHarbour-2572@anz.com

anz.com Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) ABN 11 005 357 522. Item No. 93587 03.2017 W572499

lifetime limit ■ A lifetime limit of $1.6 million (indexed) will apply to the amount of super that can be transferred to pension phase (no limit now) ■ People with existing pensions over $1.6 million will need to reduce their total pension balance to $1.6 million or less before July 1 to avoid penalties.

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

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

gains tax relief may be available).

5. Spouse contributions –The annual cut-out income threshold for the tax offset for spouse contributions will be increased from $13,800 to $40,000.

Certain eligibility criteria apply.

How can we help?

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

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

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

You don’t need to do it twice YOU really can have too much of a good thing. A recent report from the Insurance in Superannuation Industry Working Group found many Australians hold multiple life insurance policies through their super, and the premiums are eating away at nest eggs.

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

Fund trustees can’t second-guess your personal circumstances, so it’s always important to check how much cover you have in place. According to Canstar’s latest star rating report on life insurance, cover in super is usually only worth $100,000 or $200,000, and you could need considerably more.

Your super fund can let you know the value of your life insurance. And if it turns out you’re underinsured, it’s easy to top up your cover by contacting the fund manager. The premiums come out of super

THINK MONEY PAUL CLITHEROE contributions or your fund balance, so if you’d rather hang onto the money for retirement, think about arranging separate life insurance outside of super.

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

In fact, four out of 10 Australians have multiple super funds. So the problem of over-insurance is widespread.

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

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

Coffs and Clarence

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 25

Wellbeing

The Professor lectures on a happy way to age

Look around, think about it and put a smile on your face Gail Forrer

IN 1986, a sighting of Hayley’s Comet promised a dazzling vision, but despite the star’s extroverted reputation, it defied our expectations and from an Aussie viewpoint, it made a very introverted sort of orbit. There was disappointment all around, but never fear, since the mythic minded comet repeats the journey every 75-76 years, there is time for a glittering redemption.

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

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

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

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

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

“Stay engaged in

life,” she advises.

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

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

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

“I felt unfurled,” she said.

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

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

She observed the happier older adults communicated with a positive attitude, they were the curious ones, the ones with eyes and minds wide open.

That’s who she wanted to be.

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

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

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

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

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

“And it’s completely up to you.

“No one can make those choices for you.

“Push out into the world,” she advises.

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

University of Sunshine Coast “For young students, it’s all ‘could be’ career, success, kids,” important factors that she is an she said. contributing to healthy aficionado of positive “For older students, aging, but above all attitude. you’ve done it.”

❝

Stay engaged in life.

Don’t miss the spider web on the grass on a cold winter’s morning. Or wonder if a mackerel sky will bring rain.

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

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

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

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

Ultimately, the reports agrees to one point – positive attitude leads the way to happy ageing. **Aging Well: Surprising Guidelines to a happier life from the landmark Harvard Study of a adult development. (2003) George E Vaillant M.D. Triumphs of Experience: The Men of the Harvard Grant Study. (2012) Geoge E. Vaillant M.D.

Apply the 80/20 rule for better peace of mind I WANT to share with you, a simple, yet effective “rule” that has helped me de-stress and stay on track in different areas of my life.

Some years ago, I heard someone say that we wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time.

INSPIRING AND RETIRING EVA BENNETT I have found that using the 80/20 rule in other

areas can lead to a happier, healthier life.

Whether it’s our work, our relationships money, retirement or whatever else, it’s how we handle things that can influence the quality of our lives.

This led me to including this analogy in my seminar

presentations over the years and has proven effective in showing people how to deal with issues in their lives in a more positive way so that they can resolve problems and reduce stress.

If we are spending 80% of the time worrying about

what’s not working in our lives, worrying about not having enough money for their retirement and only feeling okay about 20% of the time, then this will affect your health.

So the plan is to reverse that ratio and aim for feeling good about

your life. Research is finding that nearly 80% of our health problems are caused by ongoing stress and worrying, negative thinking.

The 80/20 rule is all to do with your own mind-set. www.plansretirement. com.au/articles

26 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

wellbeing

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Bert hasn’t lost sight of his vision for a productive life BERT McNicoll led an active working life, and in retirement he hasn’t let age or low vision slow him down.

Now 76, the former farm manager from Koroit in Victoria’s south-west has slowly lost his vision over the past 25 years because of age-related macular degeneration, one of the most common causes of blindness and low vision in Australia.

But once a week, he rides with a cycling group, he helps with working bees on the Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail, and with support from Vision Australia, enjoys a few ends of lawn bowls with his mates a couple of times a week.

Bert, a father of three and grandfather of five, said his left eye was badly affected by macular degeneration and he had slightly more vision in his right eye.

He stopped driving two years ago and no longer goes fishing because of the travel involved, but said he could cycle on the

Bert uses a magnifier to help with his reading.

THINKING AHEAD: Bert McNicoll isn’t slowing down.

rail trail if he went easy and kept left.

Bert said he could manage most things around the house but sometimes simple tasks, such as putting a plug in an electrical socket in a poorly lit area, or making a cup of tea, were difficult.

“The biggest problem is when I walk up the street and folk will speak to me.

I’ll always speak back but I just can’t recognise their faces, which is a bit awkward,” he said.

Warrnambool Vision Australia orthoptist Cathie Jane visited Bert and his wife Eileen, armed with a range of magnifiers to help Bert with reading.

For his lawn bowling, Cathie suggested binoculars or a set of binocular-style lenses, mounted on spectacle frames like opera glasses, with adjustable focus to keep Bert on target on the green.

Bert said he tried both and the binocular frames

suited him best. They have kept him playing and socialising.

“I play lawn bowls fairly badly but I still play,” he joked.

Bert said he was delighted at the personal attention the Vision Australia team had given him.

He had only one piece of advice for anyone who had low vision but wanted to stay active.

“I’d just say go to Vision Australia. They’ll help you wherever they can,” Bert said.

A personal approach is the key to Vision Australia’s service to people living with blindness and low vision, regional manager Laura Allison said.

Vision Australia branches around Australia

are staffed by a team that includes occupational therapists, orientation and mobility specialists and other experts that can keep clients active at home or in their community with a range of solutions tailored to their needs and interests.

They can even connect clients to a host of recreational activities that are open, inclusive and welcoming.

“We can keep people living at home and pursuing their hobbies in their local community, or while they are travelling,” Laura said.

“We support them to enjoy the activity of their choice and make sure they have the equipment and technology to take an active part.

“It’s important that we make sure they can feel comfortable with their vision loss and we can support them with any tools or training that they need.”

Vision Australia’s support can even extend to travelling, Laura said.

“If a client wants to go away in a caravan, for example, we can make sure all the surfaces are marked up or contrast used so it’s accessible just like home,” she said.

Most Vision Australia offices also display a range of adaptive technology and low vision tools for the home or office, or for on the go.

The range includes talking watches and calculators, large computer monitors, magnifying software, kitchen and bathroom equipment, lighting solutions, reading and writing accessories and a variety of mobility aids.

It’s all designed to keep clients active, mobile and in touch with their world.

Vision Australia has offices and services all over Australia.

For more about Vision Australia’s work to ensure people with blindness and low vision can live the life they choose, or to locate your nearest Vision Australia office, visit: www.visionaustralia.org/

Shake off anger with 10 forgiving steps THERE are ways to forgive the people around you who have caused you angst for any number of reasons, but do so can sometimes be hard without a helping hand to guide you.

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

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

But how do you go

about forgiving?

The team at the UC Greater Good Science Centre suggest using the following nine steps.

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

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

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

It’s about seeking the peace and understanding that comes from blaming people less after they hurt you and taking those offences less personally.

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

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

■ 5. At the time you feel upset, practice stress management to soothe your body’s fight or flight

Seniors News

response. This could mean taking deep breaths or whatever is most effective for you.

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

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

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

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

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

PHOTO: IPOPBA

choice to forgive.

■ 10. Defining your life by what is good in it, and not

If you like what you’re reading, why not advertise here?

We’d love to share your stories and promote your business to readers just like you. This is the perfect opportunity to share what your business has to offer to those who are most interested. Don’t miss your chance to reach our readers!

Embracing Ageing

BOOK THIS SPACE!

what is bad, can empower you towards a healthier, happier life.

To find out more about advertising ors Northern NNSW and in Senio s Coffs and Clarence Seniors call media sales consultant Sue Germany 0 880 265 or get in touch at on 1300 Sue.Gerrmany@seniorsnewspaper.com.au

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Tracey Johnstone

Coffs and Clarence

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Reviews A war hero is now saluted

THIS is the incredible but true story of Australia’s greatest war photographer and indomitable polar explorer.

Cameras were banned at the Western Front when the Anzacs arrived in 1916, prompting correspondent Charles Bean to argue continually for Australia to have a dedicated photographer.

He was eventually assigned an enigmatic polar explorer, George Hubert Wilkins.

“He was a highly accomplished and absolutely fearless combat photographer.

Wounded many times and even buried by shellfire, he always came through. At times he brought in the wounded, at other times he supplied vital intelligence of enemy activity. At one point he even rallied troops as a combat officer. His war record was unique.” – General Sir John Monash, commander, Australian Army Corps.

Within weeks of arriving at the front, Wilkins’ exploits were legendary. He went “over the top” with the troops and ran forward to photograph the actual fighting.

He led soldiers into battle, captured German prisoners, was wounded repeatedly, and was

Seniors 27

READ ALL ABOUT IT Sit back, put your feet up, snuggle into the couch and immerse yourself in one of these fine books

The story behind Congo Dawn

CONGO Dawn by Katherine Scholes is inspired by real events and set in the exotic but dangerous world of 1960s Congo, in the midst of the Simba rebellion. At its core this is a story of fractured family, and a daughter on a search for her long lost father. But it’s the intricate research and familiarity with the

subject matter, combined with the panoramic scale of writing, that elevates this into a landmark novel. Katherine was born in Tanzania, the daughter of a safari doctor and an artist and lived an idyllic childhood until she was ten and they moved to Tasmanial Penguin Books.

RRP $32.99

New Super Saver dishes from Pauline’s kitchen

Title: The Unseen ANZAC

by Jeff Maynard.

RRP: $29.99. scribepublications.com.au twice awarded the Military Cross – all while he refused to carry a gun and armed himself only with a bulky glass-plate camera.

Wilkins ultimately produced the most detailed and accurate collection of First World War photographs in the world, which is now held at the Australian War Memorial. After the war, Wilkins returned to exploring and, during the next 40 years, his life was shrouded in secrecy.

His work at the Western Front was forgotten, and others claimed credit for his photographs.

In The Unseen Anzac, Jeff Maynard follows a trail of myth and misinformation to locate Wilkins’ lost records and reveal the remarkable storyof the war photographer.

Maynard is an author and documentary maker.

His books include Niagara’s Gol, Divers in Time, and Wings of Ice. He is a former editor of Australian Motorcycle News, and retains a keen interest in classic motorcycles.

He is a member of the Explorers Club and is on the board of the Historical Diving Society.

SLOW Cooker Central by Pauline Christie is back with 200 delicious new recipes that won’t break the bank.

Super Savers is packed with easy, tasty and inexpensive meals for anyone on a budget.

Organised into $5, $10, $15 and $20 dishes, these all-new recipes are sure to hit the mark.

Slow cookers can turn the cheapest cuts of meat or inexpensive vegies into delicious dishes.

Whether it’s casseroles or curries, soups or roasts – or even desserts and

other treats – Slow Cooker Central’s 200-plus Super Saver recipes are flavour-packed as well as budget-friendly.

There are recipes for every occasion, from weeknight dinners to holiday celebrations, and all the recipes are by real people cooking in real kitchens, with no obscure ingredients or complicated instructions.

Packed with Pauline’s useful tips and tricks, and including the size of the slow cooker used to make each dish, these are fail-safe recipes that will

quickly become family favourites and save you money at the supermarket.

ABC Books RRP: $24.99

The Wrong Side of Goodbye ONLY Harry Bosch can uncover LA's darkest secrets in this new gripping thriller from global bestseller Michael Connelly.

Harry Bosch is working as a part-time detective in the town of San Fernando outside of Los Angeles, when he gets the invitation to meet with the ageing aviation billionaire Whitney Vance.

When he was 18 Vance had a relationship with a Mexican girl called Vibiana Duarte, but soon

after becoming pregnant she disappeared.

Now, as he reaches the end of his life, Vance wants to know what happened to Vibiana and whether there is an heir to his vast fortune. And Bosch is the only person he trusts to undertake the assignment. Harry's aware that, with such sums of money involved, this could be a dangerous undertaking – not just for himself, but for the person he's looking for.

He begins to uncover

Vibiana's tragic story.

Published by Allen & Unwin. Available now.

RRP $32.99.

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

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

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

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

28 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Live and let’s save Save money, one byte at a time

WE LIVE in a world that connects us to information via the internet and the speed in which that is executed is determined by our internet provider. We all need to “google it” from time to time but how do we know what provider to use and if we are on a good deal. If you’re willing to search and compare, you will find the best plan to suit your needs.

TYPES OF PLANS

★Unlimited Plans Having an unlimited data plan means you don’t have to worry

BE THRIFTY AND THRIVE NICKY NORMAN about data limits, excess usage charges or your speed being slowed if you go over. ★No Contract Plans No-contract plans are simply a broadband plan without a contract.

These plans can also be called a one-month, or month-to-month contract. ★Bundle Plans A home phone and

GET CONNECTED: Search and compare for the best deals.

broadband plan, also known as a bundle, is where you rent your landline telephone and fixed line broadband connection through a single provider. ★Streaming TV Plans With the introduction of streaming TV services such as Netflix, Stan and Presto the way we use

our internet data limit each month is changing. ★Wi-fi/Wireless Plans A wi-fi broadband internet connection is where you have a wireless network within your home via a wi-fienabled modem router.

TYPES OF INTERNET CONNECTIONS

■ NBN - (The National Broadband Network) is a project funded by the Federal Government with the aim to provide every Australian home and business with a faster, more reliable broadband internet connection.

What the fibre-optic cables have over the traditional copper wires is that the fibre-optic cables are far less susceptible to the effects of wet weather, lightning, congestion and erosion, providing users with a more stable and reliable connection.

■ ADSL2 - is the most widely available internet connection and gives you access to speeds up to 24Mbps.

■ CABLE BROADBAND connections are delivered over a dedicated cable from the exchange to your home.

■ NAKED DSL - you don’t need to pay for phone line rental and don’t have a home phone.

Some of the more popular internet providers are: Belong, Foxtel, iPrimus, Mate, iiNet, My Net Fone, TPG, Optus, Telstra and Dodo. ★To see what deals are being offered by the providers, you can visit their website or alternatively, you can compare plans via websites such as : broadbandguide.com.au whistleout.com.au and iselect.com.au.

Cooking for one can be simple

FRESH COOKING

A great simple dish with a good protein is haloumi and salad only take a few minutes to cook and taste great. I also like to make pan-fried salmon with rosemary potatoes and beans. Delicious. It doesn’t have to be salmon, any fish will do.

Chrisanella salad is another lovely two-minute

CHEAP EATS, NO TRUFFLES CHRISTINE PERKINS meal and don’t forget a Caesar salad only takes a few minutes and you end up with a healthy, tasty meal. Check the website for recipes. No excuse to buy takeaway or go hungry.

FREEZING

I am a real fan of freezing in portion size, it makes life so much easier. You can buy takeaway containers from your supermarket and reuse them as few times. Just write on the top of the container what the contents are so you don’t get a surprise when you

defrost the contents. I like to make up a batch of spaghetti bolognaise sauce which can be used with pasta and lasagne. It is also nice on nachos or baked potatoes. You can even freeze mashed potato into portions. Don’t be afraid to freeze a roast including all the veggies and gravy or a casserole.

The freezing process also seems to tenderise meat so it tastes even better.

SANDWICH PRESSES

Sandwich presses are handy for cooking for one or two. Quick and easy, they cook both sides at once. You can use them for meat, sausages, haloumi, toasties, bacon, eggs, croutons, bruschetta or even pizza.

Just remember to season, taste and have garlic and olive oil on hand always.

SOLO SENSATION: You’ll make the delicious Chrisanella Salad again and again.

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IT’S NOT always easy to cook for one. You can put in a lot of effort for a single meal and who can be bothered. Here are a few simple ways of making a decent meal with less effort that you can try.

Sometimes it is harder to think of something to cook than cooking so we often take the easy way out but you can whip up a meal in minutes if you have the right ingredients. Think ahead and don’t over-buy.

Coffs and Clarence

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 29

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

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

1. BECAUSE WE CAN

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

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

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

2. EASY ON AND OFF

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

3. UNPACK ONCE

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

10 very good reasons to go - CRUISING 4. DESTINATIONS

Destinations never-before attainable, now are.

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

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

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

contiki travel with no regrets

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

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

5. FOOD

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

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

couldn’t afford to get there anyway).

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

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

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

6. ENTERTAINMENT

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

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

7. LEARNING

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

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

8. SHOPPING

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

look.

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

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

9. COMFORT

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

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

10. AFFORDABILITY

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

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30 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

travel

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Princess on emerald Ann Rickard

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

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

Welcome to the world of spa paradise at sea.

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

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

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

Float in the pool and whirlpools.

Enjoy the marvellous fabulous magic show.

CRUISING: The Emerald Princess' movies under the stars.

up with many activities becomes too much.

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

A chocolate and wine

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

Norman Love.

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

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

An important part of a cruise is to try something

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

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

We had not joined in a Zumba class either.

Nor had we ever played

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Highlights Visit the majestic Taj Mahal, take a sunrise Ganges River cruise in Varanasi, learn about the rituals of the Sikh religion in New Delhi, search for tigers in Ranthambore National Park, tour the stunning palaces of Udaipur, cruise for 2 nights the backwaters of Kerala on a traditional houseboat, view the historic fort in the old town Kochi.

Plus breakfast daily, 5 lunches and 7 dinners.

Highlights See Teotihuacan, shop for traditional Mexican handicrafts at the markets in Oaxaca and visit the Sumidero Canyon. View the incredible Mayan ruins at Palenque dating back to AD600, explore Chichen Itza, the most famous Mayan site in Mexico and enjoy Old Havana. Nine nights in premium traditional guesthouses. Plus breakfast daily, 3 lunches and 4 dinners.

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escortedescapes.com.au *Travel restrictions & conditions apply. For further details refer to escortedescapes.com.au. Prices are correct as at 1 Jan 17 & are subject to change. Quoted prices on sale until 8 weeks prior to each departure date or until sold out prior. Prices are per person, twin share and subject to availability. Prices shown are for payments made by cash in store and are fully inclusive of taxes, levies, government charges and other applicable fees. Payments made by credit card incur a surcharge. Escorted Escapes product is exclusive to Qld, SA and select NSW Escape Travel stores. All cruises are based on lead-in inside cabin twin share. ^Interest Free: Approved applicants only on a Lombard 180 Visa card. Terms, conditions, fees and charges apply including a $99 Annual Fee charged on the account open date and annually on the anniversary of the account open date. Minimum finance amount applies and is valid on holidays over $999. Interest, currently 22.99% p.a., is payable on any balance outstanding after the 12 month Interest Free period. Ask in store for details. Offer ends 31 Dec 17. Credit provided by Lombard Finance Pty Limited ABN 31 099 651 877, Australian Credit Licence number 247415. Lombard® is brought to you by FlexiGroup®. ~60+ DISCOUNT: Offer valid until 31 Dec 17. New bookings only, limited to one $100 discount per senior. Minimum booking value of $2500 per person consisting of air and land/cruise arrangements, or a land/cruise only booking over the value of $2500 per person. Valid State/ Territory accredited seniors card must be presented to consultant at time of quotation. Please ask us for further details or visit our website at http://www.escapetravel.com.au/terms-conditions. FROM BRISBANE. Flight Centre Travel Group Limited (ABN 25 003 377 188) trading as Escape Travel. ATAS Accreditation No. A10412. ATAS Accreditation No. A10412. ETEEM75452

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

travel

Coffs and Clarence

Seniors 31

A man who pictured shape of modernity

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

ERLE LEVEY Journalist .

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

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

Adman: Warhol before pop is one of those timed/ticketed exhibitions at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, where you can enjoy special moments with the art but without the crowds.

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

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

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

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

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

his life before that.

That’s why this exhibition is so fascinating. We see his style developing, his whimsical humour and wit, the way he used creativity over technical ability. The way he observed or reflected life and used it as comment, long before personal computers and mobile phones.

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

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

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

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

I wonder: “When did she die?”

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

Enough alcohol in the

bloodstream and brain to make reaction and thoughts encumbered.

So, art provokes curiosity, the internet enables information.

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

Illegal.

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

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

Born Andrew Warhola on August 6, 1928 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Slovakian immigrants, the young Warhol battled illness that confined him

to bed for long stretches until his teens. His mother had a very religious background and she played a big part in his life, particularly after the early death of his father who was a coal miner.

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

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

became his own art.

Later on, he removed himself from this art style and reflected upon life – realistically and unglorified. His work focused on removing emotion, instead he copied and reflected people’s desires back at them.

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

He didn’t confine himself to one medium.

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

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

Art Gallery of NSW

director Dr Michael Brand said the show provided an exciting opportunity for visitors to the gallery to understand the formative years of one of the world’s most influential artists, providing deeper insight into the making of an icon.

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

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

32 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

travel

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Coffs and Clarence

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

Seniors 33

What’s on ENJOY what the Coast is offering in May with all sorts of entertainment, outings, arts, celebrations and more.

GOING IN STYLE (FILM)

THREE retired friends attempt to rob the bank that withholds their money when they lose their pensions as the company they worked for is sold off to a foreign corporation.

The elderly trio encounter unexpected pitfalls in 21st century crime style.

Saraton Theatre, Grafton, from April 20 onwards.

LOCAL SHOWS

AGRICULTURE is in the spotlight right from late April through May with the Macksville Show on April 28-29; Maclean Agricultural Show on May 2-3; Grafton Clarence Agricultural Show on May 5-6; Coffs Harbour Show from Friday to Sunday May 12-14 and the Bellingen Show on Saturday and Sunday May 20-21. Visit your local showground to see everything from friesians to fireworks, from chooks and cats to camellias and coconut cakes, from banana bunches to Brahman cattle and from equestrian feats to embroidery.

EAST COAST ENCOUNTER

INDIGENOUS and non-indigenous artists,writers and songwriters have re-imagined the encounter between Lt James Cook, his crew and the Aboriginal people in 1770.

Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, April 28-June 17.

BEHIND THE LINES

POLITICAL cartoons from 2016 are on show at Grafton Regional Gallery until May 6 alongside If These Halls Could Talk, showcasing the work of Yaegl artist Frances Belle Parker in transforming Eatonsville Hall, and

JOURNALIST BELINDA SCOTT Special Edition, photographs from Daily Examiner photographers and Flowers III, flora paintings from the gallery collection. From May 10 to June 10, view Wild Australia, photographs of Aboriginal actors from the 1890s, and On a Walk, drawings by Nicola Moss and Sue Harris and Aboriginal artefacts from the Gallery collection.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

WADJAR Regional Indigenous Gallery at Yarrawarra Cultural Centre at 170 Red Rock Road is hosting this travelling multi-media photographic exhibition. Award winning artist Belinda Mason captures on film the stories of 30 people with disabilities from First Nation communities.

Open 10am-4pm Tuesday-Friday; 10am-1pm Saturday and Sunday until June 9.

MARKET MAGIC

ENJOY browsing at the Mylestom Community Market 8am-2pm on April 29 or May 29 (4th Saturday of each month) in the grounds of the North Beach Recreation and Bowling Club overlooking the Bellinger River or try a sausage sizzle at the charity community barbecue. Step further afield for the funky grass roots make it, bake it, grow it, sew it Funkya@Unkya Markets 8am-1pm on Sunday April 30 under the tall pine trees at Unkya Reserve, Eungai Creek Rd, Eungai Creek. Head up the hill for Dorrigo Community Market in Hickory St on May 6.

SHOW TIME: Head to the many shows in May to enjoy the family fun and great exhibitions.

PHOTO: COFFS HARBOUR SHOW

KNIT WITS

DROP into a branch of the Clarence Regional Library for a knit and a chat – Grafton Library 1st and 3rd Tuesday at 2pm; Yamba library 2nd Tuesday at 9.30am; Maclean Library 3rd Tuesday at 10am and Iluka Library 1st Friday at10am. Knit squares for the Wrap With Love project or pursue your own project.

BUILDING ON RACING

THE Master Builders Association Race Day will be held at Coffs Harbour Racing Club on May 5, from 11.30am-6pm. The Clarence Valley Jockey Club will host the Brushgrove Cup Day on May 19.

TURNING JAPANESE

GATHER up your grandchildren for the Japanese Festival of Children’s Day with Koinobori kites, koi carp, Japanese food, games and activities at the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden in Coffs Harbour on Sunday May 7.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

BUSH TUCKER will be the theme of the Coffs Ambassador tour of Woolgoolga Lake on May 6. Birds of the Coffs Coast will be the theme of the May 20 tour; magical mullaway the theme of the

HOW TO SUBMIT NOTICES

The Probus Club of Coffs City Executive Committee (From the left to right) Ken Capps, Vice President; Jan Williams, President; Myra Capps, Secretary and Beryl Burke, Treasurer.

EMAIL your community notes to Nicky or Chris at communitynotes@seniors newspaper.com.au.

Please keep notices short and to the point (100 word maximum).

The deadline for Seniors Coffs & Clarence May issue is May 17.

May 21 tour. Growing an organic kitchen garden will be the theme of a hands-on workshop in a Korora backyard on May 28, where you can learn about growing organically-sustainable food with ABC gardening guru Steve McGrane. All these activities last about 2 hours and all are free, but bookings are essential, visit: ourlivingcoast.com.au

PORCELAIN ON A PLATE

NORTH Coast Porcelain Painters will hold their Mother’s Day porcelain art exhibition with displays and sales on May 13-14, 10am-3pm, at the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden in Coffs Harbour.

Cafe open.

SCULPTURE IN THE PARK

ART Urunga has re-scheduled its weather-cancelled January event and Sculpture in the Park will now be held on May 14. The one-day sculpture exhibition from 10am to 3pm will share Morgo St Reserve with the Mother’s Day in the Park picnic event with live music, coffee, food, kids’ activities. See www.urunga.com.au

WATERCOLOURS AND MUSIC ARMIDALE’S Julee Andrews Quartet will

PROBUS CLUB OF COFFS CITY

ABOUT 50 members of The Probus Club of Coffs City attended the Change over lunch to welcome the New committee for 2017-2018 and to say thank you to the old Committee. The function was held at the Anuka Resort at Coffs Harbour

entertain at the Nambucca Valley Arts Council Mother’s Day concert at 2.30pm on Sunday May 14. A tribute to the late Rodney Andrews, with proceeds to the Cancer Council, an exhibition of Rodney’s paintings will accompany the concert at the Nambucca Community Arts Centre, Ridge St. Inquiries Lil Ganly 6568 5463.

AQUARIUS

THIS award-winning Brazilian film is an engaging and satisfying picture about the adjustments that come with ageing, particularly the fear of being jostled out of place as the culture moves on. Retired music critic Clara is determined to hold on to her beloved apartment in the seaside Aquarius building, which developers see as an ageing relic ripe for demolition. Thursday May 18, 10.30am; 1.30pm, 6pm, Jetty Memorial Theatre, Coffs Harbour

HEROES AND HILARITY

THE PHANTOM SHOW, a very different touring show with work by more than 30 different artists about that unique and enduring cartoon character The Phantom, the first superhero, is on at Coffs Harbour’s Bunker Cartoon Gallery. Visit the bat cave until May 12 in an exhibition described as nostalgic, surprising and fun- you might even see The Phantom himself.

BALD ARCHY

THE Bald Archy, the annual art exhibition which spoofs the Archibald Prize for portraiture, will open at the Bunker on May 19 and remain on show until June 11. See what mischief the cartoonists, caricaturists and comic artists have made with the personalities and activities of our leading and a great social day was had by all. The Probus Club of Coffs City is a friendly mixed club and meets in the Cavenbah Centre on the 4th Wednesday of the month, always with an interesting guest speaker. New members are welcome. If you are interested in joining us, contact Ken on 6652 2177.

citizens in the last year.

ENTER THE INTERNET

INTERNET Basics 1Internet for the Beginner is the title of a free workshop for adults at the Harry Bailey Memorial Library in Coffs Harbour from 2-4pm on Wednesday May 24.

Bookings essential ph 6648 4911.

BOTANIC GARDEN OPEN DAY

SUNDAY, MAY 28 is Australasian Botanical Gardens Open Day and the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden will host a plant fair, workshops, demonstrations, stalls, children’s activities, a barbecue, guided tours from 9am-4pm.

THE WITCHES

WHAT is it with witches on stage this autumn? The Witches by Roald Dahl is being staged by Griffin Theatre as a madcap physical theatre one-man show at the Jetty Memorial Theatre at 6pm on May 30. This is one for the grandchildren if they are brave and at least six years old.

JAMES MORRISON

James Morrison has recently returned from highly acclaimed tours of Europe and the US. He will visit Grafton for only the third time in almost 30 years. The program will showcase standard jazz gospel tracks and original work.Lead-up items will include organ, didgeridoo and Voices Over The Valley winner Grace McDonald singing her soon to be released single ‘Hold on Now’. SOULful Concert starts at 7pm on Saturday, May 13 and tickets are priced from $35 to $95. The venue is Christ Church Cathedral, Duke St, Grafton. Phone 02 6642 5097. For ticket sales visit: fm1031lovinglife.com.au.

KORORA VIEW CLUB

MEETING on the 1st Tuesday of every month at CEX at 11am. Supporting the Smith Family learning for life students. Next meeting is May 2. Come and join us for lunch, hear interesting guest speakers and make new friends. Info and bookings phone 6653 7078.

34 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

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

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Be wary if the number in the ad is disconnected.

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

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

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Tip

The Long and Short of Selling.

Make sure that potential buyers know what you’re talking about in your advert by avoiding confusing abbreviations!

This tip brought to you by www.finda.com.au

Go to www.adoptapet.com.au to see the many wonderful puppies and dogs currently available. They’re all health and behaviour checked, vaccinated, microchipped, desexed and are waiting for their new homes.

What if you don’t find your pawfect match at an animal shelter and are interested in other options?

Follow the RSPCA Smart Puppy Buyer’s Guide and you’ll be on the right track to taking home a healthy, well-adjusted puppy. You’ll also be helping to prevent the sale of puppies from puppy farms or irresponsible breeders.

Check out the Smart Puppy Buyer’s Guide at www.rspca.org.au

puzzles

Monday, April 24, 2017 seniorsnews.com.au

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

1

2

3

4

5

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

6

7 8 9 10

11 12

13

14

15

16

18

Coffs and Clarence

17

19 20

21

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

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

22

SUDOKU

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

QUICK CROSSWORD 1

2

3

4

6

5

7 8

9

ALPHAGRAMS

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

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

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

R Z

11 12

13

S N

15 16 17

18

19 20

N P

N

S

S

Note: more than one solution may be possible.

RANGE ADVERB BLUE ARC IDEAL END MEDITATES

SOLUTIONS

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

21

D R

B

14

22/4

5x5

C

10

Seniors 35

22

WORD GO ROUND

R U S E S

E R U P T

D E N T S

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

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

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

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

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

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

TODAY: Good 17 Very Good 24 Excellent 33

QUICK CROSSWORD

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

T E

O Z O N E

433

E N

SUDOKU

5x5

C A B I N

I

WORD GO ROUND

GK CROSSWORD

R W

T R

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

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

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

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

Premier Hearing is a local Coffs Harbour hearing services provider owned by Gay Colreavy. Gay is a qualified Audiometrist holding a Practitioner’s authority issued by the Australian Government’s Office of Hearing Services. She is a member of the Australian College of Audiology and the Hearing Aid Audiometrist Society of Australia.

Gay’s focus is on servicing her clients. Every client’s needs are individual. Gay says: “Whether it’s a simple hearing test, or a complex diagnostic assessment, or hearing aid fitting, I aim to give my clients the standard of service that I like to receive when I choose a health professional.

Premier Hearing is all about providing the very best in hearing care. Hearing impairment affects sufferer’s quality of life, but it needn’t.”

contact Gay today to find out how you can improve your hearing and enjoy the sounds of life once again.

Meet Gay Colrevy

PREMIER HEARING

REGulAR clINIcs

urunga, Macksville, Nambucca & Woolgoolga

6527147ad

63 Grafton Street Coffs Harbour 02 6651 1227

36 Seniors Coffs and Clarence

seniorsnews.com.au Monday, April 24, 2017

Coffs Harbour Residential Care 45 Victoria Street Coffs Harbour Nestled between high mountains and breathtaking seaside views, Coffs Harbour Residential Care is an excellent choice for local residents requiring 24 hour nursing care in a family-friendly community environment.

Our highly trained and caring staff provide individualized care for each of our residents, who can choose from a selection of single rooms with private ensuites or twin share accommodation, providing companionship for couples or friends, whilst receiving the benefits of 24 hour care.

Facility Manager Virginia Podesta is a Registered Nurse and has worked at Coffs Harbour Residential Care for 26 years. A typical week sees Virginia oversee a team of 146 passionate staff, dedicated to the many aspects of a resident’s care. Virginia explains: “Coffs Harbour Residential Care is a community within a community. Our longest serving member of staff has been here for over 35 years. Many of our staff have family members also who work here, and even have family members who are residents here. It really is a home away from home. My Aunt is

(L-R) Lynn Peel (administration), Virginia Podesta (Facility Manager) & Helen Martin (Deputy Facility Manager)

a fine example of good living at Coffs Harbour. She is 100 years old and I’ve had the pleasure of overseeing her care for the past 9 years.

Acquired by Japara Healthcare in 2015, Cofs Harbour Residential Care has exciting changes to look forward to. “We are excited about the new refurbishment this year, aimed at improving the amenities and accommodation for our residents”.

The leisure and lifestyle program at Coffs Harbour Residential Care provides innovative, creative and stimulating events. Our program includes individual, group and community activities, and our lifestyle team is there to support residents in selecting activities suitable or appealing to them.

To discuss your loved ones needs, or to book a personal tour, call us on (02) 6652 1494.

COFFS HARBOUR RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITY

Single and companion rooms available now.RE Call and book a tour today on 6652 1494

At Coffs Harbour Residential Care, we offer 24 hour registered nurses working alongside dedicated and experienced staff offering individual care for each resident.

We offer the choice of single or companion rooms, so singles and couples can enjoy accommodation best tailored to their needs. With flexible fees, Coffs Harbour Residential Care is nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the mountains of the Bindarri National Park, offering amazing views in every direction.

See it for yourself today.

45 Victoria Street, Coffs Harbour acsagroup.com.au