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2

APRIL, 2019// SENIORS

INDEX 3 4 6 8 12 15 22 23 25 27

Cover story: Dr Suzanne Packer Ocean Shores turns 50 Mullumbimby Rotary Community notes Seniorpreneur feature Wanderlust Wellbeing Living Money Puzzles

22 Living your best life, fit & healthy

25 Granny flats and your estate

Our role as the elders Gail Forrer Seniors group editor THIS month our cover story features Senior Australian of the Year Dr Suzanne Packer.

Our journalist Tracey Johnstone interviewed Dr Packer in her Canberra home and I believe the description of her backyard gives us a special insight into the philosophy that guides her work with children.

Her acceptance speech also furthered understanding to what had prompted her ongoing life’s work: “By the current measures our Australian children are not doing as well as they could – middle of the pack, certainly not leaders,” Dr Packer said.

“If we want to improve, we adults are the ones who need to change. No more belated apologies, we need to notice children, be curious about their lives – be it our own children, children in the neighbourhood or the children on Nauru.

“If our situation in Australia is to improve, then all of us must first learn to truly value all children irrespective of their circumstances, as full members of our society who are learning from all of us.

“We are a small but wealthy nation and we already have a reputation for

punching above our weight, surely our children should be our first priority.”

On a personal level, we as grandparents, relatives and friends also have a role to play in the development of young children and maybe, rather like Dr Packer, it could amount to having fun play corners, yards or just making some special time to share with these little people.

But life is many layered and focusing on another dimension, in this edition, our double-page feature highlights a new wave of seniors going back to business.

Through various programs and grants, the government is supporting people who are looking for fresh ways to live and make a living in 2019.

We have several case studies, so have a read – perhaps it will inspire you.

I trust you’ll enjoy the read.

CONTACT US General Manager Geoff Crockett – 07 5430 1006 geoff.crockett@news.com.au Editor Gail Forrer – 07 5435 3203 gail.forrer@seniorsnewspaper.com.au Media Sales Executive Brett Mauger – 07 5435 3203 brett.mauger@seniorsnewspaper.com.au Online Get your news online at www.seniorsnews.com.au Advertising, editorial and distribution enquiries Phone: 1300 880 265 or (07) 5435 3200 Email: advertising@seniorsnewspaper.com.au or editor@seniorsnewspaper.com.au Location: 2 Newspaper Place, Maroochydore 4558 Website: www.seniorsnews.com.au Subscriptions Only $39.90 for one year (12 editions) including GST and postage anywhere in Australia. Please call our circulations services on 1300 361 604 and quote “Brisbane Seniors Newspaper”.

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

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.

SENIORS \\APRIL, 2019

COVER STORY

3

‘‘

Grandparents have this one-eyed devotion to these special little people.

BIG HEART: 2019 Senior Australian of the Year Dr Sue Packer AM.

Photo: Tracey Johnstone

The children’s guardian Tracey Johnstone NESTLED in the corner of a summer-dried garden in Canberra is a magical play space for young ones to imagine, create and evolve in safety.

Its guardian is pediatrician and Senior Australian of the Year 2019 Dr Suzanne Packer AM. There are no brick walls, just a little timber path winding its way under the thick brush, a mushroom patch, a fish pond, sandpit, touches of folk art and a boisterous cubby house.

For the more active there is hopscotch painted on the brick pathway nearby.

The quaint welcome

sign calls the neighbourhood school children to discover what is within, under the careful guidance of an adult.

“My focus is children in Australia,” Dr Packer said.

Her new role of Senior Australian of the Year will give the children’s guardian a greater voice.

She will be travelling Australia for the Department of Health sharing her message, “How can we grow them (children) to be the best possible adults for Australia?”

“It takes more than the family to do that,” Dr Packer said.

And she has grandparents in her sights.

“We have kids living very different lives and the

role of grandparents in these lives has become more critical,” she said.

“Grandparents, despite their busy lives, tend to have more time than parents and they have this one-eyed devotion to these special little people, which is not spoiling them but actually helping the child identify itself as an individual.”

What we do to them, for them and with them Dr Packer will be encouraging senior Australians to think how they can enhance the lives of their grandchildren.

Those sharing interactions will help to develop the child’s brain.

Reinforcement, reassurance, embellishment – each she says goes towards their

emotional and cognitive development.

Dr Packer’s work with the Child at Risk Unit at Canberra Hospital exposed her to many vulnerable and damaged children and their families.

“I followed up a number of these kids until they were adults,” she said.

“You cannot underestimate the value of caring, involved grandparents.”

She cautions that you can’t assume all grandparents will be great carers.

Some of them are part of the pathology, she says, potentially looking for what the kids can do for them rather than what they can do for the kids.

We’re sitting at Dr

Packer’s kitchen table, which looks out to an array of colourful hanging baskets and the play area, as we chat about her national award, which celebrates her contribution to the wellbeing and safety of children.

The guardian is retired from her pediatric practice but that’s about the only retiring the 76-year-old is doing.

Dr Packer is vice-president of the National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect and chairwoman of the Mr Fluffy Asbestos Response community group.

What’s next ?

In retirement she has plans – to write some children’s booklets about

her time as a little girl when there was no plastic or television and the milk was delivered by horse and cart.

“It’s about getting the kids to think that there was good and bad in history,” she said.

Dr Packer is also a carer for her sister, Prue, 75, who has dementia.

Much to her delight, Dr Packer is heavily involved in the lives of her four grandchildren – one aged three, two under two and one under one.

Within her vibrant and complex life that has Dr Packer pulled in many directions she retains in the forefront of her mind: “No adult can say, ‘Oh yeah kids, nothing to do with me.’ Kids are to do with everybody.”

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LOCAL HISTROY

APRIL, 2019// SENIORS

Ocean Shores hits middle age Tania Phillips IT’S hard to imagine that just 50 years ago the thriving town of Ocean Shores was the site of dairy farms.

The township – now the largest residential town in the Byron Shire – has a colourful past, one that Ocean Shores Community Association president Jan Mangleson has watched unfold.

Jan and her husband Jim moved their young family from Sydney to the region in 1972 and are now helping to oversee the 50th birthday celebrations, which started with a birthday party on March 30 and will continue throughout the year.

Other events include the Ocean Shores Art Expo on August 23-25.

The opening night will feature a special Ocean Shores Golden Jubilee Art Award of $1000 for an art work on the theme of A

Moment in Time at Ocean Shores.

Other plans include a celebration of more than a century and a quarter of education in the Pocket Valley and Byron Coastal North and a fun run from Devine’s Lookout to the river.

“We originally moved to the nearby town of Mullumbimby where we bought a house and ran a small retail business,” Jan said.

“We then bought 129 acres on Mt Chincogan and bred Poll Hereford beef cattle.”

However, they were always involved with the fledgling town.

“Jim is one of the founding members of the Ocean Shores Golf Club,” Jan said.

“In 1979 we started a real estate business which is now operated by members of the second generation of our family.

Our children grew up on our farm and went to local schools. Jim and I now

live in Ocean Shores.

“We take great delight in our grandchildren and now have great grandchildren.

“All our family agree that moving out of Sydney to this wonderful Northern Rivers gave them a heritage and a lifestyle they deeply appreciate.”

Jan said the end of March was a significant date for Ocean Shores – marking the start of development.

“Fifty years ago on March 29, 1969 hundreds of people gathered at the iconic Roundhouse, Pat Boone’s Ocean Shores Administration Centre, overlooking the Pacific Ocean,” she said.

“S.T. (Steppa) Stephens MLA, the local Member of Parliament and also NSW Minister for Housing and Co-Operative Societies, officially opened the building, making way for the development of the new resort town of Ocean Shores.

“Famous pop singer of

the day Pat Boone was engaged by (developers) Wendall West to come to Australia to market the development. It was said at the time that in the ’60s and ’70s Pat Boone was more famous than Elvis Presley.”

Though he didn’t come out for the party, Boone was still involved in the celebrations.

“As part of our 50th birthday celebrations, James Cotta, chair of the Ocean Shores Country Club board, met with Pat Boone at his LA office on Sunset Boulevard in Beverley Hills in March,” Jan said.

“Pat is now 84. His wife died early this year. He was, however, pleased to speak with James and to send a message to the people of Ocean Shores wishing us well for our 50th birthday celebrations. He was there when it all began.”

The town had an interesting and colourful birth.

PRINTED AND AUTHORISED BY P. DEEGAN, ALP (NSW BRANCH), 17 WOODLARK STREET, LISMORE, 6974785aa

SENIORS \\APRIL, 2019

LOCAL HISTORY

The Roundhouse in the early ’70s.

‘‘

The town was designed on a curvilinear pattern following the contours of the site Shores South, and part of Stage two, around the Capricornia Canal.

“The new town of 1500 residential lots was born,” Jan said.

“Professor Robert Sully, an architect and town planner from Los Angeles, designed the Roundhouse and the town of Ocean Shores South.

BEGINNINGS: Pat Boone's original ad.

“The town was designed on a curvilinear pattern following the contours of the site rather than the old square grid pattern.

“Electrical power lines and telephone went underground for the first time in Australia in a private development.”

For more details, go to oceanshorescommunity .org/media-articles.

Ocean Shores long-time resident Jan Mangleson

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“The first company Wendell West Australia Pty Ltd bought 12 dairy farms of cleared land, the entire coastal area from the north of the Brunswick River up to the Tweed Shire border on Wooyung Rd,” Jan said.

When Wendell West (which had Ocean Shores developments in the US as well) went into receivership in the US, Princess Properties Pty Ltd took over the development of the Australian Ocean Shores, completing Stage 1 of the development, now Ocean

5

6

LOCAL NEWS

APRIL, 2019// SENIORS

COMMUNITY GIVERS: Rotary club president Nerida Dean (centre), her Mother Merle, left, (a former Rotarianne) and former club secretary the late Sue Curtis who passed away last month.

Rotary’s long proud history Tania Phillips MULLUMBIMBY wouldn’t be the same without Rotary – well it certainly wouldn’t look the same.

The Rotary Club of Mullumbimby is celebrating 70 years serving the Brunswick valley community – holding a dinner at St Martins Hall earlier this month.

Club president Nerida Dean said the it is quite a milestone for the very visible and active club.

“Many members of the community will have seen us selling raffle tickets or sizzling sausages.

“We raise money for local, national and international projects,” she said.

“As Rotarians pay to belong to Rotary, we cover all our administration costs and every cent we raise goes to our projects.

We are currently raising funds to help people affected by the drought.

All funds will be distributed through Rotary clubs directly to those in need.”

Since it’s formation the Mullumbimby club has been involved in all sorts of major projects both Mullumbimby and Brunswick during their proud history.

“We have undertaken many local projects over the years,” Nerida, whose

‘‘

The Rotary Club is celebrating 70 years serving the Brunswick valley community

dad was also president of the club while her mother was a “Rotarianne” explained.

In 1991 we planted a rainforest on the western side of the Brunswick River at Pine Avenue.

“This year we were the inaugural awardee for the Environment Section of the Byron Shire Council’s Australia Day awards.

“Mullumbimby Rotary Club provided the original gateway to Mullumbimby sign which is now at the Mullumbimby Museum.

“We collaborated with Byron Shire Council and created Pilgrim Park at the entrance to Brunswick Heads including building the amenities block recently removed by

One of the many community projects of the Rotary Club of Mullumbimby.

Council.

“We also support the Mullumbimby Neighbourhood Centre, and we raise funds to support victims of domestic violence.”

While Rotary student exchange programs are widely known it isn’t the only young project that the Mullum-Brunswick based club supports.

“We support participants to attend a program for 14 to 17 year olds (RYPEN), and to a transition seminar for year 11/12 school leavers (RYST) and for 18 to 28 year olds to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA),” she said.

“An annual award for a student in year10, year11 and year 12 is given at Mullumbimby High School.

At our celebration dinner there will be an auction with all proceeds going to the Chrysalis program at Mullumbimby High School.”

The club also supports programs nationally and internationally and is always looking for new members. Contact club president Nerida Dean; nerida.dean@iprimus. com.au, 0407 008 848.

Rotary Club of Mullumbimby members working on environmental projects earlier this year. (Above: original sign created by Rotary)

SENIORS \\APRIL, 2019

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APRIL, 2019// SENIORS

Community notes

Community group guide WE welcome your community news. If you would like to submit a photo ensure it is at least 180dpi or 500kb to 1mb in size and of faces, in a nice bright setting. Email editor@seniors newspaper.com.au.

U3A

Twin Towns PLAY darts, cards, upwords, board games and mah-jong on Fridays between 10am-2pm at 4 Boyd St, Tugun. Players at all levels including beginners are welcome.

To join this group or for further information phone Rudi Voss, 0418 219 773 or U3A Twin Towns on (07) 5534 7333.

Tugun U3A Twin Towns play darts, cards, upwords, board games and mah-jong on Fridays between 10am-2pm at 4 Boyd Stree, Tugun.

Players at all levels including beginners are welcome. To join this group or for further information, phone Rudi Voss on 0418 219 773 or U3A Twin Towns on (07) 5534 7333.

TACT

TWEED Area Computer Tuition Club is a wellorganised learning facility for people wanting to gain more skills needed for the modern day computers eg basic knowledge of the keyboard, program shortcuts. Photo Management can also be rewarding for the photographers who love to explore our beautiful scenery with their cameras or mobile phones. In this class you are taught how to transfer your photos from your device to your computer and how to manage the captures you have taken.

There’s nothing like seeing the world through the camera. A wide variety of classes are available Monday to Friday. For more information phone (07) 5524 9212 or go to tact.org.au. TACT is located at the South Tweed Sports Club, 4 Minjungbal Dr, Tweed Heads South.

TWIN TOWNS AND DISTRICT GARDEN CLUB

OUR next meeting will be on Monday, May 13.

The venue is South Tweed Sports Club, Minjungbal Dr, South Tweed in the downstairs auditorium.

Guest speaker for May to be announced but worth a

visit. April guest speaker will be club member John Bennett speaking about successfully growing roses in our subtropical climate. We also held a morning tea for Tamborine Mountain Volunteers which was a great success. The hall opens at 8am for entry and benching, with the general meeting commencing at 9.30am. Cuttings and trading tables will commence selling at 8.15am, so come along and snap up a bargain.

Cost: $4 entry fee paid at the door, which includes morning tea. Remember if you’re benching it closes at 9.15am. Raffles, lucky door prizes and much more. Hope to see you there, bring a friend and a coffee mug to help save the planet. For more information phone Monika Ross on 0412 638 373 or go to twintownsgarden club.com.

PROBUS CLUBS

Banora Point NEW to Tweed area?

Retired or semi retired?

Join us at Banora Point Probus. We meet on the Fourth Monday of each month at the South Tweed Sports Club at 10am. We are a mixed club, and have interesting speakers, as well as an outing each month. There will be no guest speaker this month as it is the AGM. Visitors welcome.

Cost $5. Phone Annette or Ron on 07 5523 4016.

Hastings Point/Tweed Coast OUR next meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 16 at 10am at Tricare Village, 87 Tweed Coast Rd, Hastings Point. The speaker will be Meg Reid, manager of Tweed Heads-Murwillumbah Service NSW, who will give a presentation on how to simplify the range of services offered by Service NSW. The following meeting will be on Tuesday, May 1 at the same time and venue.

The speaker will be Jack Sammon, a bush poet from Condong in northern NSW. He has been a stockman and is now a poet renowned in Australia and the US.

TIME TO REMEMBER: Various Anzac service times are printed below.

Inquiries: Jean Watson on 02 6670 4072.

POTTSVILLE FUN CROQUET CLUB INC.

COME and join us for a social game, beginners and visitors welcome at BlackRocks Sports Field.

Games starts at 9.30am Tuesday and 2pm Thursday. $5 a game.

Inquiries 0413 335 941.

VIEW CLUBS

Coolangatta/Tweed OUR next meeting is at South Tweed Sports Club on April 18. Join our friendly ladies for coffee and chat 11-11.30am start. We meet on the third Thursday of month and have guest speakers each month. If you are new to the area and would like to join our ladies, phone Elaine on 07 5524 4461 by Monday prior to our meeting.

Twin Towns Day We will be celebrating our 51st birthday at the South Tweed Sports Club on Thursday, May 2.

Entertainment by the fabulous ROMAIN and the theme for the day will be The Merry Month of May. Bookings: Phone Freda on 07 5524 1357.

TWEED SHIRE LIBRARIES

Papercraft: Be as creative as you wish to repurpose and personalise an old book for mementos, photos, letters or anything. All materials supplied.

Thursday, May 9 at 4.30pm. Bookings: Murwillumbah Library on 02 6670 2427.

Be Connected: Join us for a cuppa and a workshop about our eBooks, eAudiobooks and the Be Connected program. Be Connected is a government initiative to assist people with the digital world. Bookings essential. Tuesday, May 21 at 10am at Murwillumbah Library 02 6670 2427. Friday, May 24 at 11am at Tweed Heads Library 07 5569 3150.

Accommodation options in retirement: Join Sandra Dowling from Department of Human Services as she talks about accommodation options in retirement.

Topics include comparison of accommodation types, financial advantages and disadvantages, Centrelink assessment, and aged care fees and charges. On

Thursday, May 23 at 11am. Bookings essential. Phone Tweed Heads Library 07 5569 3150.

Memory Bingo: Are you caring for someone with dementia? Bring them along to our fun morning of Memory Bingo.

Stimulate conversation, meet new people and enjoy a blast from the past. Morning tea provided. Monday, May 27 at 10am. Limited spaces so bookings essential.

Phone Murwillumbah Library 02 6670 2427.

ANZAC DAY TWIN TOWNS

Dawn Service: Assemble in Wharf St near the children’s statues in Chris Cunningham Park at 5.45am, with the march off commencing at 5.55am. Veterans who wish to be seated at the service are asked to form up at the front of the march. Dawn Service commences at approximately 6am.

Wreath Laying Service Qld: A short wreath laying service will be held in Goodwin Park Coolangatta at 6.35am.

Gunfire Breakfast: Directly after the Dawn

Photo: Valerie Horton

Service, breakfast is served at Twin Towns for Sub-Branch members/families and public. Tickets $10.

Breakfast only available to those who have pre-purchased a ticket by April 23. Book at the Sub-Branch office (hours Mon-Fri, 9am-noon) or Twin Towns Show Bookings desk, call 1800 014 014 or online at twintowns.com.au Main Service: Commences at 11am.

Parade marshals will be in attendance to direct all personnel. For those unable to walk to the march and want to use the buggy service, please meet in Wharf St near the pedestrian crossing and overhead walkway.

March Route for 2019: Main Parade will march off at 10.30am. Children’s Parade will march off at 10.35am. Assemble at Jack Evans Boat Harbour at Tweed Heads (corner of Boundary and Coral Sts) from 10am. The parade will turn left into Wharf St at Tweed Heads and proceed to the Memorial at Chris Cunningham Park where the Anzac Day Service will commence at 11am.

SENIORS \\APRIL, 2019

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LOCAL NEWS

APRIL, 2019// SENIORS

Music man Peter Noble Tania Phillips

Clapham Junction, and as band leader for Marcia Hines, before moving to the US to work as a professional musician.

Eventually, after touring nationally and internationally, he settled in the US and set up Portland, Oregon’s first International Jazz Festival as well as being house booker for legendary venue The Earth.

Returning to Australia in the early ’80s, he became a pioneer, touring blues groups in Australia, including bringing them to Byron which started his love affair with the town and later the event that he has mentored for almost three decades.

As well as changing locations, the festival has expanded and grown.

Noble collaborated with leading cultural creative Rhoda Roberts in 2013 to produce the Boomerang Festival, a world indigenous festival held at Bluefest’s Tyagarah home.

Boomerang returns to Bluesfest this year and will host its own space featuring dance, language, story, talks, carving, weaving and traditional healing programs.

The festival has also become more environmentally aware over the years, according to Noble.

“Back stage at Blues this year for the first time there will be no single-use plastic bottles,” he said.

It was a move made after a discussion with long-time Blues fest supporter and performer Jack Jones.

And that’s the other thing that Blues Fest has become over the years – a family, with many

‘‘

Over the years, Blues Fest has become a family

THE BOSS: Byron Bluesfest director Peter Noble. performers including Casey Chambers coming back every year even if they aren’t performing.

This year will honour those people and many of the pioneers of blues and roots music in this country, including Russell Morris, Richard Clapton and Joe Camilleri.

Noble said there had been a lot of talk about why they hadn’t gone for a really big headliner this

year.

“We could have spent a lot of money on Fleetwood Mac – on one or two headliners,” he said.

“Instead we are putting on great acts across all the timeslots across all the days.”

Bluesfest will present more than 200 performances across numerous stages over five 12-hour days, as well as camping for up to 6000

Photo: Tao Jones

people and children’s entertainment.

From a modest crowd of 6000 people, in 1990 it now attracts 100,000 each Easter.

This year’s line-up includesbig names Iggy Pop, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Paul Kelly, Hozier, Norah Jones and Tommy Emmanuel.

For details, go to bluesfest.com.au.

6942033ai

OVER the past 30 years Byron Bay Bluesfest has become more than a music event, it has become a cultural experience and integral part of both the Australian music calendar and North Coast music culture.

And the man who has been at the helm for a big part of those 30 years, Peter Noble, who splits his time working and living between Byron and Bali, is still as passionate as ever about the festival and about music.

“Life truly is an amazing adventure which I take on with wild enthusiasm on a daily basis,” the Grammy winner and festival director said.

“I have a great team around me which means basically my workload isn’t what it once was and I don’t want it to be. I want to enjoy this festival too.”

That doesn’t mean he isn’t working hard.

While Noble says he hasn’t been in the office for the past month, he has been in the US scouting out talent for the 2020 festival – just weeks before 2019 has even happened.

But that is what it takes to create Australia’s most awarded festival – an event that has taken out both music and tourism awards in large numbers, brought some of the biggest names in music to the country and brings large numbers of tourists each year to Byron and a large number of music fans to its side concerts in Melbourne and Sydney.

Noble said that this year the side shows look likely to sell 50,000

tickets, with 43,000 already sold three weeks from the event.

“Ticket sales are doing better in Melbourne than Sydney but this shows we are not a small event, our tentacles now reach around the country,” he said.

Not bad for an event that started 30 years ago at the old Arts Factory (known colloquially as the Piggery) at Byron Bay as the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival.

Back then, Noble’s main interest was as a promoter, bringing bands to town. It wasn’t until 1994 that he officially became a director of the event.

“This is only my 26th festival,” he joked, though that is more than enough festivals to have Noble awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to live and recorded music, tourism and the community.

It is also more than enough time to have him earn the “Keeping the Blues Alive” award from The Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee.

And he remains passionate about the event that has moved (permanently ensconced at a farm 11km north of Byron since 2010), changed and grown over the years.

He believes that comes from being a musician first.

Growing up in Sydney, Noble was drawn to the music industry at an early age, playing in rock, soul and blues bands during the ’60s and ’70s.

His bass playing and business sense helped secure jobs with a number of artists including

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FEATURE

APRIL, 2019// SENIORS

Back into business for seniors

Older people riding a fresh career wave WHICHEVER title you want to use – silverpreneur, olderpreneur, seniorpreneur or just simply entrepreneur – these seniors are growing into an economic force in Australia.

They’re the innovators, job seekers and risk takers of the over-50s who want, need, dream of building financially viable businesses whether they are sole operators or become small or large-scale employers.

La Trobe University Professor of Entrepreneurship Dr Alex Maritz said these senior entrepreneurs were essential to the Australian economy.

“People are living longer,” Dr Maritz said.

“Straight away, what does that say to you? We can work longer, we can be active in business for longer and they want to be.”

He reports senior entrepreneurs are contributing about $11.9 billion per annum to the Australian economy.

The Benevolent Society’s Older Australians campaign director Marlene Krasovitsky said the senior entrepreneurship phenomenon was not limited to Australia.

“It’s one we are watching with great interest,” Ms Krasovitsky

said.

“The Federal Government is starting to recognise that entrepreneurship is not only about young people, there is a very significant role for older people to play as well.”

In January the Federal Government poured money into the further development of its Entrepreneurship Facilitators network across Australia.

The funding is for the network of 20 professionals tasked with helping mature-age Australians prepare for self-employment.

Ms Krasovitsky said through the work of The Benevolent Society’s EveryAGE Counts campaign, they had evidence that ageism often happened in the work environment.

“It’s in that context that we look at a range of initiatives,” she said.

“Certainly, self-employment or starting up a new business is an attractive option for many older people to continue contributing to the workforce in the economy and to continue to get that sense of meaning and purpose that work brings.”

Why start-up?

Becoming an entrepreneur is often driven by necessity, opportunity or passion.

“Traditionally people think as a retiree they

have stopped work,” Dr Maritz said.

“So what do they do now? They go get themselves a little sideline job to supplement their income.

That is true but that is not your stereotype senior entrepreneur.”

They are more often serious entrepreneurs, with their age irrelevant to their work choice.

Entrepreneurship is often a high-risk environment. It requires a person to be proactive, innovative, opportunityobsessed, willing to draw on their life experiences, learn on the run and use whatever resources there are at hand, including their business and friendship networks.

Having enough money to start up a business is one of the biggest hurdles for entrepreneurs.

“Senior entrepreneurs in Australia start 14,000 new businesses each year,” Dr Maritz said.

Anecdotal evidence says about as many close down each year.

A hobby that pays Maree Machin’s business, Telltale Designs, bucks that trend. Her “cottage” business is a year old next month and still in the black.

The Sunshine Coast home-based business owner has experienced past start-up failure, so this time she did her numbers to ensure the

HELPER: Phil Daly, of BuildGrowRun, supports senior entrepreneurs going into small business.

LaTrobe University professor Dr Alex Maritz, professor of entrepreneurship. business was going to make money.

She had a clear picture in her mind of what she wanted to do and how to go about it.

“I also got my supply chain organised and did some market testing,” Ms Machin said.

Her success came from limiting the amount of money put into getting the

Money for Jam program member Sharon Carroll.

business going and in using her small business background and personal network to grow the business, which up-cycles yacht sails into bags.

“It puts together everything I love – the ocean, up-cycling and it feels good and has a great story,” Ms Machin said.

“I am doing something

good for the environment, it aligns with the heart and stays in the black.”

Her success, she said, was in starting small and keeping the business tight.

“If I grow it, I will then need to go into the grant space,” Ms Machin said.

Not everyone has the capital like Ms Machin to pursue a new business

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SENIORS \\APRIL, 2019

FEATURE

Money for Jam seniorpreneur pilot program members with ribbons printed by Sharon Carroll.

‘‘

Telltale Designs owner Maree Machin is celebrating being in the black after the first year in business.

Senior entrepreneurs are contributing about $11.9 billion per annum to the Australian economy. idea, nor the business skills to bring the idea to fruition. However there are support networks, grant opportunities and organisations, such as the government’s EFs, that are available to seniors.

Help is at hand One of the EFs, Phil Daly of BuildGrowRun, said there was a huge demand for the EF program.

It’s free and open to anyone, no matter why they want to set up a business or whether is it going to be micro, small or medium-sized.

“I think a lot of people may have an idea and may have even started the business but often they don’t have all the skills to run the business themselves,” Mr Daly said.

“In Australia we have a

IT consultant JC Shin with the Parkapiki team Adrian Adams (middle) and Neil Mackenzie (right). failure rate up around 75 per cent in businesses in the first three years.

“Often there isn’t sufficient support there for people going into small business.

“They need assistance in planning and organising things, marketing and having a general vision of what they are trying to achieve by developing

their business.”

Micro steps to battle homelessness Some people, such as Sharon Carroll, are pushed into entrepreneurship.

She was retrenched from her job, suffered depression as a result and then found herself homeless.

Ms Carroll had worked

in many places but hadn’t acquired any specific work skills.

Throughout this tumultuous period, Ms Carroll kept hold of a ribbon printing machine she had purchased several years before but had been unable to work out how to use properly.

When the Victorian Government’s think tank Per Capita offered her the chance to join its Money for Jam program, she leapt at it.

The program’s goal is to empower older women to earn as they age through micro-enterprise.

Project leader Myfan Jordan explained that through class-based learning and a smartphone app, the pilot program members – all of whom had experienced homelessness – were given training in core business skills and personal growth.

Money for Jam gave Ms Carroll sufficient business skills and confidence to unpack the old printing machine and use it to create a micro-business that is helping her rebuild her financial base.

“I got so much more out of doing the course than I thought I would,” Ms Carroll said.

“What has been achieved since the course has been amazing. There haven’t been any great sales but I have got my ribbons out there.”

She has started to get orders and is in the process of developing a website.

Just as importantly, Ms Carroll has found the confidence to get out among the community talking up her micro-business, happily handing out her unique business card printed on a ribbon.

“It’s been small steps – no leaps and bounds but it’s all been extremely positive and all forward steps,” she said.

Passionate about well-being Neil Mackenzie and colleague Adrian Adams

13

were pulled into their enterprise as a result of Mr Mackenzie discovering there wasn’t a single website with information on outdoor activities around Adelaide.

It sparked his passion for developing a go-to answer. Mr Adams was the obvious partner.

They received seed funding from the South Australian Government through its 2017 D3 Digital Challenge, which was run through the Office of the Ageing.

The outcome was the challenge-winning website Parkapiki.com, which lists parks, outdoor places and events promoting health and well-being for older South Australians.

“We wouldn’t have done it if there wasn’t an opportunity to make money,” Mr Mackenzie said.

“The original business model didn’t work.

“The underlying reason is we invested all the funds and time into developing the platform. It was a conscious decision to do that rather than providing a cheap product.

“We wanted a quality product but now we have no money to market it. We have got to think of ways to earn money that we can reinvest in telling people this product actually exists.”

Is it for you?

Mr Daly said not all people in their 60s wanted to go into graceful retirement.

“I like working in doing what I’m doing,” he said.

“Dealing with entrepreneurs and people in small business, there is a lot of positive energy around that.

“Research indicates that a lot of baby boomers don’t want to retire.”

Dr Maritz concluded: “Entrepreneurship isn’t for everybody. Going out on your own can be very stressful.

“Entrepreneurs don’t fail, their ventures do. It’s not about failing. It’s about learning failure.”

Share the Good News

If you’ve got big news, a heart-warming story or community event coming up, spread the word and share it online with Seniors!

Visit seniorsnews.com.au today!

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SENIORS \\APRIL, 2019

It’s all here in Albany Anzac history, heritage listings, harbour

PAGES 18 & 19

16

APRIL, 2019// SENIORS

Snapshots of travel deals

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WITH the redevelopment complete, Queensland’s Daydream Island is ready to welcome guests to its 277 rooms and suites.

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VICTORIA’S high country producers are dressing their dining tables in readiness for the annual Feast High Country Festival from May 3–19.

The best of the high country’s food and drink will be showcased in a program that celebrates the natural beauty of the mountains, valleys, vineyards and villages of the region and the talented folk who bring the fine fare right to your table.

Feast High Country Festival offers a perfect excuse for a road trip.

Highlights of this year’s festival program include: ❚ Patrizia’s Harvest Forage with foodie royalty Patrizia Simone – forage for ingredients for your lunch then get the low-down from this celebrated chef on how to turn your found produce into a five-course Italian feast. ❚ Fermentation Degustation – Bridge Road Brewers Beechworth founders Ben and Maria Kraus host a four-course matched dinner with a difference, where

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SENIORS \\APRIL, 2019

The Villas in a park-like setting.

‘‘

Tangalooma Island is the world’s third-largest sand island

NATURAL BEAUTY: Wild dolphin feeding off Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island.

Photo: Contributed

Birdlife abounds Tangalooma.

at

A dive into Tangalooma shirley.sinclair@scnews.com.au

IT STARTS the moment you step off the ferry, stand on the jetty and take in that view.

Your gaze immediately falls on the golden sands stretching from the resort in front of you to the snorkelling haven known as “The Wrecks” at the extreme far left.

You’ve taken the scenic route and arrived at this island haven.

You’d swear you’ve been teleported to the Whitsundays or North Queensland.

Then your eyes turn back to the calm, jewelled waters that graduate in

colour – deepening from aquamarine to sapphire.

Time-poor but fun-loving over-50s can discover a tropical getaway virtually on their doorstep and feel like they’ve had an exotic holiday in just one or two days.

Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island – the world’s third-largest sand island after Fraser and North Stradbroke islands – is only a 75-minute ferry ride from Pinkenba in Brisbane’s north. It’s so close, yet a world away from the everyday.

While we’d visited Tangalooma before, it had been in the colder months for some winter sun – a time of year when having a

scenic water view is enough.

Today, it’s all about frolicking in the 23C water on a 26-degree day under cornflour-blue skies.

And we’re not going to waste this opportunity, having taken the first ferry at 7am and cramming as much island time into our overnight itinerary as possible.

For our 10am booking with Tangatours on the Wrecks Snorkel Tour, we mosey up the garden path where palm fronds and pandanus leaves cast shadows on to bottle-green lawns, to be suited up in wetsuits and decked out with snorkel and fins.

Before the mandatory

safety briefing, we strike up a conversation with two Swiss travellers who couldn’t pass up the one chance they had to swim around 150 types of coral and 100 species of colourful tropical fish, as well as the possibility of sighting bottlenose dolphins, green sea turtles, wobbegongs and dugongs.

Our instructor, the aptly named Sandy, expertly guides us on a tour beside, around and through the 15 wrecks.

Over the next 75 minutes, we are mesmerised by nature.

While I’ve snorkelled all over the world, this is my first wrecks dive and it’s a titanic experience.

Nothing can quite describe the feeling of following tiny colourful fish through the bones of a sunken hull of a ship, kicking past portholes and floating above decks.

The tour snorkels with the current, the length of the shipwrecks from end to end.

The snorkelling reminds me how the simple things in life are often the best.

And with that in mind, we head off to enjoy a half-hour relaxation massage.

The climax of our day on Moreton Island is its world-renowned wild dolphin feeding.

Guests on selected accommodation and day cruise packages can feed

dolphins once per person per stay. But anyone can sit in the stands and observe this nightly heartwarming human/dolphin encounter.

The grateful recipient of our tasty herrings is pregnant 14-year-old Silhouette. Her calf now named Comet made its first appearance on January 13 – the fourth generation of the same family to turn up at Tangalooma and the 12th member of the Moreton pod to frequent the jetty. * The writer was a guest of Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island: a 75-minute ferry ride from Pinkenba in Brisbane's north.

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18

APRIL, 2019// SENIORS

‘‘

It’s here the Anzac Day dawn service originated

SOLEMN BEGINNINGS: King George Sound at Albany, where the Anzac troop ships left from on the way to Gallipoli in World War I.

Photos: Erle Levey

Albany honours the In honour of Anzac Day, we publish Erle Levey’s account of his visit to Albany, believed to be the place of the first Anzac dawn ceremony

YOU CAN STILL HEAR THE SOUND OF SOLDIERS MARCHING THE small West Australian coastal town of Albany has a big Anzac history – it’s here the Anzac Day dawn service originated.

Atop of the town’s Padre White Lookout is the perfect place to stand at dawn or as the sun sets and reflect on those who have gone before.

In the spring of 1914, thousands of men and hundreds of horses gathered at the town’s railway station, coming there from all points of the country.

They marched down to the jetty to join those on the ships already anchored in the harbour, ready for their grand adventure, their journey across the seas to fight for king and country against the oppressor.

These were young, free-spirited men from a sparse continent on the other side of the world.

The Australians and New Zealanders responded to the clarion call of the British Empire.

It was Europe’s war but

these young men and a handful of women serving as nurses of this newly formed federation of states answered the call with “Australia will be there”.

The first and second convoys carried the Australian Imperial Force and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

Twenty-six Australian and 10 New Zealand transport ships assembled in King George Sound and departed on November 1, 1914, escorted by three warships.

The second convoy of 15 Australian and three New Zealand ships departed unescorted on December 31, 1914.

Today you can stand on the headlands of Albany and look across the waters of King George Sound, the site where 30,000 Anzac soldiers and horses were gathered aboard a fleet of 40 ships before setting sail for Gallipoli in World War I – just as they had gathered at this magnificent harbour before heading off to the Boer War in 1899. Just as they would

The grounds of the National Anzac Centre on Mt Clarence at Albany, WA. again for World War II. If someone said spend a day at the Anzac Centre, you would wonder why you would spend a day at a war memorial and museum.

But you can. It’s like a walk through time and history. Everywhere you look it’s a reference to someone’s life.

Stand up there on the top of the hill and virtually picture the scene – the departing ships.

You can do that at sea level as well, at the replica jetty on the edge of

Princess Royal Harbour, next to Anzac Peace Park.

Among the men and women who gathered in Albany before departing to serve in World War I were the troops who landed at Gallipoli, including the Light Horsemen, who fought on the battlefields of the Middle East and who entered Jerusalem and captured Damascus.

Soldiers also fought in France and Belgium as part of the eight-month campaign.

Anzac Peace Park was

opened in 2010 and pays tribute to the Australians who served in World War I and all those who have served the nation in conflicts and peacekeeping missions since.

As well as the Pier of Remembrance, the park features an Interpretive Walk and the Lone Pine Grove.

Each departing ship is represented by an engraved panel on the Pier of Remembrance as well as the HMAS AE2 submarine plaque that sits at the end of the pier.

The AE2 was one of two submarines commissioned for the fledgling navy and she joined the second convoy of AIF troops in King George Sound at Albany on December 31, 1914, going on to serve in the Dardanelles.

The Lone Pine Grove provides a major focus for the theme of peace within the park.

The memorial was planted in 1974 to commemorate the departure of the first contingent of troops 60 years earlier.

19

SENIORS \\APRIL, 2019

The grounds of the National Anzac Centre on Mt Clarence.

The monument to the Desert Mounted Corps at Mt Clarence, Albany.

The old railway station at Albany, WA.

The grounds of the National Anzac Centre on Mount Clarence at Albany, WA.

The monument to the Desert Mounted Corps at Mt Clarence, Albany.

history of the Anzacs

It expresses a direct and living connection between Gallipoli and Albany.

The Battle of Lone Pine was between Australian and Turkish forces on the Gallipoli Peninsula and the ridge provided a vital position.

When Australian troops landed at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, they saw a stunted pine grove growing on the commanding position of 400 Plateau.

It was held by the Australians until December 1915 when Allied troops were evacuated from the peninsula.

Two Australian soldiers collected pine cones from the Lone Pine Ridge in 1915 and from them seedlings were propagated.

The pier is a stretch of boardwalk, which curves into Princess Royal Harbour.

It provides a site for respite and reflection of those lost in the war.

The National Anzac Centre on Mount Clarence takes two to three hours to go through.

You can explore the outside, including great views of the ocean where the troops left Australia for the last time.

The old gun emplacements and ammunition storage areas are dug into the hill.

Walking tracks lead up to the peak and from here you can look over the whole city, including Anzac Peace Park.

The Garrison bar restaurant beside the Anzac Centre also gives a great vantage point of King George Sound in comfortable surrounds.

Perhaps the most touching monument is that to the Desert Mounted Corps – so gallant in the Middle East.

That and the Padre White Lookout, a memorial to the man regarded as the instigator of the Anzac Day service.

The 10th Light Horse Regiment was the only regiment of mounted infantry recruited in Western Australia during World War I. It formed part of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade and served at Gallipoli as infantry in the Australian

St John’s Church, Albany. and New Zealand Army Corps.

The regiment participated in the disastrous charge at the Nek on August 7, 1915, and their courageous actions were immortalised in the Peter Weir movie Gallipoli.

After Gallipoli, the regiment served in the Middle East as part of the Anzac Mounted Division and later the Australian Mounted Division.

The 10th Light Horse Regiment was largely supplied by the waler

breed of horse that originated in NSW, hence the name.

The horses possessed amazing courage and endurance in harsh desert conditions, remaining alert and dependable even when short on rations.

The Light Horse combined the mobility of cavalry with the fighting skills of infantry. They fought dismounted, with rifles and bayonets.

However sometimes they charged on horseback, notably at Magdhaba and

Beersheba.

On October 31, 1917, the Australian Light Horse bravely charged head-on into the machine guns to take Beersheba.

Never would history see such a full-scale charge again.

Horses usually need to drink about 30 litres of water a day. However during the campaign they often went for up to 60 hours without water while carrying a load of almost 130kg comprising rider, saddle, equipment, food and water.

At the end of the World War I, Australians had 13,000 surplus horses that could not be returned home for quarantine reasons.

Of these, 11,000 were sold, the majority as remounts for the British Army in India.

Of all the walers that served in World War I, only one made it back. Sandy was one of Major General Sir William Throsby Bridges’ mounts.

The gelding accompanied Bridges to Gallipoli but was not landed.

After Bridges was killed

by a sniper, Sandy remained in Egypt until transferred to France in 1916.

At the request of the Australian Government, Sandy returned to Melbourne in 1918 and was turned out to graze.

Similarly, only one New Zealand horse that had served in the Middle East returned home. That was a mare named Bess.

From 1916–18 Padre White served as an army chaplain with the 44th Battalion and, upon his return to Australia, delivered sermons in remembrance of locals who died in World War I. He led parishioners from St John’s Church to the summit of Mt Clarence at dawn on April 25, 1932 – the site where he, along with so many others, gathered to watch the convoys depart in 1914.

Today the Padre White Lookout is the region’s most visited lookout and serves as an enduring place of reflection: a lasting monument to Ernest White and Australia’s first dawn service.

20

APRIL, 2019// SENIORS

Affordable travel in comfort and style Great value for money as you see Australia BRAND INSIGHTS IT DOESN’T get much more inspiring than planning, booking and going on a great tour around this vast and stunning country of ours.

The variety and diversity of destinations – from Uluru to the Opera House – really is second to none.

With so much to see and do, it’s no surprise millions of Australians hit the road (or rail!) each year to do just that.

And whether they’re towing their own caravan or on a hosted organised tour, the highways and byways are frequented by baby boomers/grey

HIT THE ROAD: With Great Value Holidays you can enjoy the best destinations Australia has to offer. nomads/senior travellers more than any other demographic – all on their way to explore the country’s wonders one

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schedule, meals, accommodation, guidance and service – you really want to be assured you’re entrusting your

experience to a quality and experienced operator.

In addition, while we’ve all laughed about SKI – spending the kids’

inheritance – whether you’re a cashed-up superannuant or a budgetconscious traveller, you want to know you’re getting the best possible tour for the best possible price.

This is where Great Value Holidays – Australia’s No.1 rated best value tour company – comes in.

One tour is not the same as the next. Even to the same destination and supposed “star ratings”, there are huge variations in standards, service, the actual product (the comfort of a coach, quality of meals, plushness of your bed for example), that combined, make all the difference to your overall experience.

The options are near endless so we’ll leave the rest to your imagination!

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21

SENIORS \\APRIL, 2019

The veteran adventurers

Photo: Ray Mustey

Practice walks up Mt Coot-tha whip Brian Eales into shape for a Himalayan adventure Kerry Heaney TWO senior trekkers have set off on a five-month journey along the world’s highest and longest alpine walking route, the 1700km Great Himalaya Trail.

Brisbane local Brian Eales, who will celebrate his 71st birthday on the trail, and Dennis Frost, 65, from the Sunshine Coast, were unknown to each other before they embarked on this ultimate trekking experience.

Brian, who has travelled to the Himalayas 15 times, prepared for the

trek by regularly walking different routes up Mt Coot-tha, down the other side, up again and back as his morning exercise.

He followed that with a 50-minute walk to his local shopping centre for lunch.

His anticipated tour highlights include abseiling off the West Col and traversing the high passes in Dolpo.

Dennis loves the contrast between the excitement and vibrancy of Kathmandu and the serenity and natural beauty of the mountains and their people.

He previously

‘‘

The trail itself triggers inspiring stories

INTREPID: Dennis Frost, with Mt Warning in the background, during a training walk. completed the Snowman Trek, crossing 11 high passes on the mountainous borders that define Bhutan and Tibet.

Organised by adventure travel specialist World Expeditions, the Great Himalaya Trail carves a path of more than 4500km through the

Himalayas from Bhutan to Pakistan.

“As well as being an incredible adventure, the trail itself triggers the most inspiring stories of determination, achievement and personal growth,” World Expeditions chief executive Sue Badyari

said.

The Nepal section begins in the country’s far east. It crosses to the high plateaus on the Tibetan borderlands in the far west, along the way encountering some of the wildest and most remote mountain environments on the planet.

Trekkers can see all eight of Nepal’s 8000m peaks and visit villages where traditional culture has remained intact for centuries.

“A thousand words cannot describe how absolutely amazing the Great Himalaya Trail was and always will be,” Ray Mustey, also of Brisbane, who trekked the full traverse in 2014, said.

“I am often asked if I would do it again. The answer is always yes.”

Brian and Dennis will join a select list of just 21 people who have completed this trek.

World Expeditions has divided the Great Himalaya Trail into seven treks that can be completed individually or together.

Find out more at worldexpeditions.com.

6976369ab

Gokyo Lake, Himalayas, Nepal.

22

APRIL, 2019// SENIORS

How to stay safe in your home for longer

Wellbeing

FOR seniors who wish to live independently for as long as possible, a medical alert system is essential for the peace of mind and security needed to age at home safely.

What is a medical alert system?

A medical alert system is a wearable device that helps you summon emergency assistance when needed so that help is literally at your fingertips should you fall or experience a life-threatening emergency.

When the button is pushed it connects to a call centre. The call is received by a dispatcher who is able to speak to the person in distress over a loudspeaker.

Once they have assessed the situation, they can send emergency assistance or contact a friend or family member depending on the nature of the situation.

When is it time for a medical alert system?

1. If you’re a senior living alone 2. A fall has occurred or a history of falls

BE PREPARED: The safeTwear pendant has a built-in SIM card and speaker. Essentially it is a mini mobile phone.

3. Unsteady gait or weakness 4. You worry a lot 5. There is no one nearby to help 6. Your medications have side-effects Paul Joseph, from Emergency Medical Services Pty Ltd, advocates the safeTwear

medical alert system because it has automatic fall detection and safeTcare 24 hours a day emergency monitoring by a professional call centre with trained emergency responders.

“This is not at all like the old systems (a box that connects to your

home phone). The safeTwear pendant has a built-in SIM card and speaker,’’ Mr Joseph said.

“Essentially it is a mini mobile phone with only one button so it’s very simple to use.

“You can take it with you wherever you go. It’s lightweight and, as I said,

easy to use, yet the system is incredibly smart. It has fall detection, GPS tracking and we see first-hand every day how it really does save lives.”

“We often hear horror stories of people who fall and aren’t found for days.

With this advance in

Photo: Contributed

technology, those situations are now avoidable. Anyone living alone will benefit from this system.”

To arrange a free demonstration of the safeTwear medical alert system call 1300 699 159.

Parkinson’s management drug on PBS

MEDICAL SCIENCE: Professor Simon Lewis of the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney.

FROM this month, the Parkinson’s management drug Xadago will be listed on the PBS. Xadago, or safinamide, is intended to slow down the breakdown of dopamine in the brain, which then decreases symptoms, but only for a limited time.

Minister for Health Greg Hunt expects that more than 11,000 people with

Parkinson’s to benefit from this listing.

“Without PBS subsidy, patients would pay more than $1400 per year for treatment,” he said.

Professor Simon Lewis of the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney said while adding another drug to the list would give people more drug options, he wasn’t sure what impact this

drug would have in the treatment of Parkinson’s.

“It’s a class of drug that’s said to be a little bit different in that it is supposed to have combined actions,” Dr Lewis said.

It is intended that the drug will give people with Parkinson’s more “good time during the day”, but there are other drugs that are already on the PBS

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that can create the same response.

“We are going to need to wait to see if this is actually going to change a lot of the landscape of prescribing that we have in Parkinson’s,” Dr Lewis said.

Dr Lewis has a website with videos related to Parkinson’s. Go to www.profsimonlewis.com.

SENIORS \\APRIL, 2019

23

Down the rabbit hole with Natalie

Living

Director a veteran in children’s theatre

‘‘

Tania Phillips

I joined this group three weeks after I arrived at Tweed. I have always loved being involved in theatre. groups always helped her to settle into a new area when she was moving around (hence the seven groups).

“Going to a new place and knowing no one and then joining a theatre group is like finding a family again.”

However, Natalie’s involvement with Tweed – 18 years – is one of her longest.

“I’m directing Alice In Wonderland for the third time,” she laughed.

“When I first came to Tweed I’d never done children shows.”

Natalie did her first one 12 years ago and has never looked back, even writing three shows for the stage – including one subsequently picked up by

the Brisbane Youth Theatre.

Alice will follow the white rabbit down the rabbit hole seven times at Tweed Heads Civic Centre.

Audiences will get to take the journey with Alice as she meets many strange animals and people and the very bad-tempered Queen who yells “off with their heads” at everyone.

There are six, 2pm matinees on April 27 and 28, and May 4, 5, 11 and 12. A very special pensioners show will be held on Friday, April 26, from 10.30am at the Civic Centre. Tickets are available through tweedtheatre.com.au or at the door.

BACK TO THE FUTURE: A still from the film 2040 featuring Byron Shire residents, filmmakers Zoe and Damon Gameau and their daughter Velvet.

A movie ahead of time MADMAN Entertainment recently released the official trailer for the documentary 2040, written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Damon Gameau (That Sugar Film).

Damon’s new film 2040 is a journey to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet and shifted them rapidly into the mainstream.

Structured as a visual letter to his four-year-old daughter about the world

he hopes she will inherit,2040, blends traditional documentary with dramatised sequences and high-end visual effects Following on from its world premiere at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival, 2040 premiered in Queensland and goes onto Sydney and Melbourne in conjunction with The School of Life.

The Melbourne event will take place on April 15 at Village Cinemas Rivoli and Sydney on April 16 at Hayden Orpheum, Cremorne. Both events will feature an in

conversation with Damon and Clare Bowditch and an audience Q&A. Gameau will then embark on a nation-wide series of special Q &A events in capital cities and regional hubs with a range of experts and youth activists to discuss the film ahead of its theatrical release on Thursday, May 23.

Screening information and tickets are available at: whatsyour2040.com 2040 will release nationally on Thursday, May 23, 2019.

Info: whatsyour2040.com.

DON’T BE LATE: Tweed Theatre’s Alice In Wonderland, directed by Natalie Trengove, is on this month.

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NATALIE Trengove was 14 when she first discovered the world of amateur theatre and now 67 years, seven theatre companies and half a planet away, she is introducing a new generation to treading the boards.

The 81-year-old British-born actor, director and writer is currently directing Alice In Wonderland for the Tweed Theatre company, a group she has belonged to almost since its inception around 20 years ago.

The production is a youth event, with all but a handful of the cast under the age of 18, but that doesn’t faze Natalie one little bit.

“I’ve done eight children shows,” she said, adding this wasn’t even her first Alice.

“I joined this group three weeks after I arrived at Tweed. I have always loved being involved in theatre.”

She said joining theatre

Dr Meon Lamont

24

LIVING

APRIL, 2019// SENIORS

Time for men to have a talk Tania Phillips IT SEEMS unusual for a book to be launched in a gym but then nothing about author Henri Rennie could be classed as ordinary or usual.

The Ballina-based writer, journalist, director, actor and playwright has been writing since he can remember and has a been a playwright for more than 40 years – first adapting Aesop’s Fables as a school play in Grade Five.

A published author, several times over, his first book, A Bunch of Old Bastards, was first printed in 2008, and The Wizard of Waramanga came next (the first in a contemporary fantasy series entitled The Books of Dubious Magic).

So why should such a man choose to launch his latest book in a gym?

Just as Rennie is no ordinary bloke, Move It Like You Mean It is no ordinary book and so Jetts Gym in Ballina Central Shopping Centre, just before the start of Parkinson’s Awareness Month, seemed the perfect time and perfect place.

The book is the second in his series about men’s health (although this one encompasses both genders) and the subject matter is Parkinson’s disease. Henri said he hoped the book offered valuable information about the disease, including some strategies that may make living with the symptoms easier.

“A main message of the book is the importance of regular, deliberate

movement in managing the effects of Parkinson’s,” he said.

That is something Jetts gym manager Kallum Fidoe was more than happy to get behind when Henri approached him about last month’s launch.

“We are really happy to be involved,” Mr Fidoe said before the launch at the end of March.

“We have regular clients with Parkinson’s and other health issues, and we see the difference that being active makes in their lives.”

So how does a man better known for writing plays and fantasy find himself writing about Parkinson’s? It’s another one of those Henri stories you don’t expect. It wasn’t through a friend or family member with the disease.

Instead it started as a job revamping a website – though he does have a “mate story” that starts this latest venture into medical books, specifically books in plain English about men’s health issues.

“This is the second in a series with more to come,” he said.

“A few years ago I was standing in a bar with a mate. He said he had three friends who turned 45, two had committed suicide and one had wrapped his expensive car around a tree. He was turning 45 in a few weeks and he asked why men had mid-life crises at that age. I was a bit older than him and had survived turning 45 but I thought ‘that’s a good question’.”

It was a question good enough to have Henri

‘‘

The new book is the second in his series about men’s health

researching and eventually writing a book on men’s health because he discovered that men really don’t talk about health and other personal worries.

He said many men would rather die than seek help and so his book was born, taking out the doctor speak and medical jargon

HEALTHY REVELATIONS: Author Henri Rennie with Jetts Gym manager Kallum Fidoe. and reading more like two mates talking in a pub together.

And so when he was asked to work on a website outlining the resources available to Parkinson’s sufferers on the Northern Rivers and read scary statistics – such as one in 300 Australians is diagnosed with Parkinson’s and 38 more people are added to that list each day – he knew this would be his next book.

“It was going to be quick just using the information on the website,” he laughed, saying that he had now talked to people all over the world and spent a lot more time researching.

And while the information in the book is up to date, Henri said research was ongoing and so the book was a “moveable feast”.

The book has been written for people with Parkinson’s, their carers,

and importantly, for those who might be at risk, because while figures show that around one in 300 Australians are known to have Parkinson’s, Henri Rennie is sure the real figure is much higher.

“The effects of Parkinson’s are often very gradual, and not recognised until the condition is well advanced,” he said. “The earlier it’s spotted, the better it can be managed.”

Sunday 26 May 2019

Missingham Park, Ballina to Lennox Head Broken Head Byron Bay

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SENIORS \\APRIL, 2019

25

Sharing the space Attwood Marshall Lawyers A GRANNY Flat Agreement can help elderly parents provide gifts to theirchildren whilst retaining their pesnion and to potentially take advantage of Centrelink concessions such as Rent Assistance.

While it is an excellent idea for elderly parents looking for a stable home and family support in their retirement, it is important that the parties entering into a Granny Flat Agreement are very clear about the terms under which they enter into this arrangement.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 8.2% of people aged over 65 years live with their family with the living arrangement more likely as you get older, with 12.2% of people over 85 living at home.

Many families make an informal agreement between themselves about how an older person would be cared for while living in a granny flat on the family property.

Not only does this appear the easier option ‘without paperwork’ it appears frugal, helping children to the primary dwelling while avoiding any capital gains tax which might be incurred through a property transaction.

How does it work?

For social security purposes, a parent can transfer or sell their home under the granny flat provisions and pay money to their children for a

EXPERT: Attwood Marshall lawyer: Angela Harry. lifetime right or the use of the granny flat (the granny flat interest). Normally the transferred property or funds would be deemed to be a gift and would affect the pension entitlements of the parent. However, the ‘granny flat’ rules allow for any property transferred or money paid to the parent’s children to be exempt from the usual deeming legislation by Centrelink.

What qualifies as a granny flat?

You do not actually have to build a separate granny flat or a separate residence. As long as there is a designated room or area that allows for a parents’ exclusive occupancy and there is an agreement to support the arrangement, Centrelink will usually approve the arrangement. Rooms such a loft room, duplex,

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a room in an apartment, can all come under a granny flat agreement.

What assets can you transfer in exchange for a granny flat interest?

■ ownership of your home ■ some of your other assets (money, for example) How does Centrelink assess the granny flat interest?

Centrelink will look at the value of the asset transferred to see if you paid a ‘reasonable amount’. If Centrelink consider you have transferred more than the value of the granny flat right they will determine you have deprived yourself of an asset. This could affect the amount of pension you are paid. You need to advise Centrelink what you transferred to the home owner in exchange for the granny

flat interest.

How a Granny Flat Agreement can affect your Will?

The parties also need to be aware that once the money is given to the child in exchange for the granny flat interest the money no longer forms part of the parent’s estate. The right only exists in the parent’s lifetime. This means that upon the death of the parent any property or money handed over to the child will not be distributed in accordance with their will.

It is, therefore, a good idea to make sure the wills and enduring powers of attorney are updated to marry up with the agreement.

This way all family members are protected and everyone knows what is going on. Sometimes jealous siblings cause friction if they are kept in the dark.

Does Centrelink recommend you have a lawyer compile your Granny Flat Agreement?

Yes, Centrelink recommend that you have a properly drafted legal agreement drawn up to give evidence of the granny flat interest. To ensure the agreement falls under the granny flat rules the document should, at the very least, confirm you have security of tenure in the property and state whether you are liable for any upkeep of the property or payment of rent. Other factors that should also be considered and included in the agreement include:■ Who does what for whom (eg cooking,

cleaning, washing etc)?

■ Who pays for what (electricity, phone etc)?

■ How much privacy will you have within the home?

■ How much independence will you have to lead your own life versus how tied down will you be by the family’s timetable?

■ How much time do you want to spend with grandchildren, and do you want to be involved in childcare?

■ What happens if your health deteriorates and your care needs change (eg you need to be placed in a nursing home or similar care facility)?

Whilst the granny flat exemption allowed by Centrelink is an excellent idea to provide solutions for elderly parents looking for a stable home and family support in their retirement, it is important that the parties are very clear about the terms under which they enter into this arrangement. It is very important to enter into a proper agreement because no matter how close families are, it is amazing how many families have a falling out in this situation and the parent wants their money to be paid back.

There needs to be provision for what happens if things turn sour or the parent needing money for a bond to go into an aged care facility.

Elder Abuse Something to be aware of is that the Australian Law Review Commission found in its 2017 report ‘Elder Abuse - A National Legal Response’ that

Money under an informal granny flat arrangement, if the relationship between parent and child breaks down or the promise of care is not delivered, the older person can be put at a disadvantage and even be left homeless.

The ALRC’s next report and suggested reforms are due mid-2019, and may lead to more stringent lawas around Granny Flat Agreement.

We highly recommend a legally binding Granny Flat Agreement is written by lawyer to help protect your rights.

■ Wills & Estates Partner Angela Harry leads the Wills & Estate Department. Angela holds a Master of Applied Law (Wills & Estates) degree through the College of Law, has completed the College of Laws Certificate in Testamentary Trusts and the Queensland Practice Management Course.

Angela also holds membership with the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP). STEP is the worldwide professional association for those advising families across generations. STEP promotes best practice, professional integrity and education to their members Established 1946, Attwood Marshall Lawyers has offices at Robina Town Centre, Kingscliff, NSW, and The Strand Coolangatta. For a free estate planning review phone 1800 621 071 today.

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APRIL, 2019// SENIORS

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PUZZLES

JIGGERED

1/4

The challenge is to rearrange a crossword which has been broken into 25 sections. One letter has been given to get you started. Work out which 3x3 square fits in with that letter and write in the letters.

You can also shade the black squares if you find it helpful.

After completing the first 3x3 area, work out which square joins on to it, and continue until you have made a complete crossword.

N D S U T H I

A L D

N

I

I V D O

G

R E

I T

O C

U G A L

E

R A L Y I

I

S R A E R M

C C H T E

A R E D O S

U P A N O N

N D G U O U T

N T D C A C H

D E R U S I N

A R O W U E N

B S E

T V I D E N

M A C A O I N N

O B E U O S T

R A Y E O B Y

R H V E E A R

M A D A R R A I

E E C K O

A Y

E D

N E T O S M

T M O

I N G

O U G

QUICK CROSSWORD Down 1. Strange (5) 2. Mergers (13) 3. Unbiased (9) 4. Dives (6) 5. Vehicle (3) 6. Explanation (13) 7. Appears (7) 11. Rented garden (9) 12. Conversation (colloq) (7) 14. Be quiet! (4,2) 17. Long-limbed (5) 19. Man (inf) (3)

Across 1. Tires (7) 5. Pedal (5) 8. Unsuitable (13) 9. Excavate (3) 10. Restoring (9) 12. Carry out, execute (6) 13. Lashes out (6) 15. Intelligence (9) 16. Weaken (3) 18. Daydreaming (13) 20. Windy (5) 21. Power (7)

1

2

3

4

5

27

6

7

16

17

8

9

10

11

12

13 14

15

18

19

TRIO

Can you complete these four words, using the same three-letter sequence in each?

SUDOKU

20

21

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

V

I O R L E D

O N C E U N I T

D I S A R R A Y

G E T S A G U E S A C S

L E A S E

I S L E

A C T O R

A N E M E N P P E R A M U L A B G A S E P A D V A C E M I I L T L O E L Y D C O U N T E R

8 LETTERS DISARRAY DOORSTEP PONYTAIL UPPERCUT

QUIZ

W A D E I C O N N E O N R U A S S I E A T O R E N I P P S C A R P O N Y A D O T E N

7 LETTERS COUNTER SAVELOY

1. In the 17th Century, European explorers named Australia what, after their home country?

2. In mythology, who supported the Earth and the heavens on his back?

3. In land area, which country is larger, Canada or China?

4. Who did Sheriff Pat Garrett kill on July 14, 1881?

5. What was the surname of the man who founded the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company in 1906?

6. Junko Tabei was the first woman to do what: climb to the summit of Mount Everest, take a space walk or eat 17 pies in 60 seconds?

7. Does the starling hop along or walk along when on the ground?

8. Which opera was written to celebrate the opening on the Suez canal?

WORDFIT

6 LETTERS AMUSES ASSIST SCARCE VACATE

QUIZ

1. New Holland, 2. Atlas, 3. Canada, 4. Billy the Kid, 5. Kellogg, 6. Climb Mount Everest, 7. Walk, 8. Aida.

5 LETTERS ACTOR CITED ENEMA ENNUI ERASE LEASE NEPAL

QUICK CROSSWORD

Solution opposite

L A B

4 LETTERS AEON AGUE ANON CANE CODE DYED EARL EDAM EMIR GETS ICON ISLE NEON OMEN ONCE OSLO RELY RUIN SACS SARI SPAT TRIO UNIT WADE

Across: 1. Wearies 5. Cycle 8. Inappropriate 9. Dig 10. Replacing 12. Commit 13. Flails 15. Intellect 16. Ail 18. Woolgathering 20.

Gusty 21. Potency.

Down: 1. Weird 2. Amalgamations 3. Impartial 4. Swoops 5. Car 6.

Clarification 7. Emerges 11. Allotment 12. Chinwag 14. Belt up 17.

Leggy 19. Guy.

Fit the words into the grid to create a finished crossword

3 LETTERS ACE ADO AGE AMP DUO EAT GAP ILL INN IRE LAB LEG NIP OLD ORE PAD PAL PRY RUB SAG SIC TEN WIN

JIGGERED

WORDFIT

TRIO: AVo

Good 18 Very Good 22 Excellent 26+

SUDOKU

TODAY no plurals ending in s.

ALPHAGRAMS

S D

LEERS, MoDELS, NoURISH, oPTIMIST, PACEMAKER.

636

D E R U S I N G A L D O B E U O S T B O S U E G R H V E E A R

I

M A

REELS SELDOM IN HOURS MOIST TIP CREAM PEAK

N I M A D V I A R R A I D O R A T V L Y I D E I N N D I S R G U A O U T E R M C E C H E C K T E O N E A R E T D O S M O S

S I

S L

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, e.g. he burns with anger.

M A C A R O O W A I N N U E N D E N U I D S T H I N G A T U P A N Y M O O N R A Y U E O G B Y A L E T R I O N C T D C A C H E

WORD GO ROUND

WORD GO ROUND

Solve the anagrams. Each solution is a one-word anagram of the letters beside it, and the five solutions are sequential. For example, if the five-letter solution starts with J, the six-letter solution starts with K, and so on.

aids ails aims amid amiss dais dial dials dims dismal dismiss DISMISSAL diss ilia laid maid mail mails midi mild mislaid miss missal missis sadism said sail sails salmi sild sisal slid slim slims

ALPHAGRAMS

28

APRIL, 2019// SENIORS