There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth about the problems Australia faces as a result of our ageing population.
But too often senior members of our community are characterised as a burden when it’s more likely grandma or grandpa are holding things together for the busy modern family.
Almost half of all children who regularly attend some kind of childcare are looked after by their grandparents, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. People aged over 65 also do the bulk of looking after people with disabilities.
If they are not helping out their own family members, they are helping others, with 35 per cent of people aged between 65 and 85 working as volunteers.
In fact, at the last census more than one in 10 Australians aged over 65 was working, with 15 per cent of men and almost 7 per cent of women in the 70 to 74 age group employed.
To celebrate Seniors Festival (October 5-12), let’s meet some older folk who continue to seize the day.
IAN & MARIE MORDEN
Ian and Marie Morden have the world at their fingertips.
As the owners of MapWorks, one of only two businesses in Melbourne dedicated to all things cartological, they’re also whizzes on geography quizzes.
The couple opened their North Essendon shop more than two decades ago to keep active in retirement. Ian, a former corporate personnel manager, and his primary school teacher wife, had travelled extensively and enjoyed a shared interest in antique maps.
“We started out framing old maps and selling them at family history expos,” Marie, 81, says. “Then we got a little shop and, as soon as we started putting maps in the window, people started coming in and saying, ‘I want to go to the Cotswolds or wherever, have you got a map?’ ”
Today MapWorks stocks a full range of Michelin maps as well as family history maps, topographical and gold-prospecting maps.
There’s also what Marie calls the “huntin’, shootin’, fishin’ section” and off-the-beaten-track guides for the growing number of four-wheel-drivers.
“It’s a wonderful business to be in,” Marie says.
“Everyone who comes in here is happy. They are all going somewhere, planning something.”
TERRY CARTWRIGHT
Anyone in search of some sound advice need look no further than Terry Cartwright.
The energetic 84-year-old is something of a guru, having volunteered at the Essendon Citizens Advice Bureau for more than 30 years.
It’s a role that’s changed dramatically during the intervening decades, reflecting increasing numbers of people falling below the poverty line.
“When I first started you’d get people coming in on their way home from bingo that might just want a bit of information about this or that,” Cartwright says.
“Now there are a lot more people coming in wanting financial relief because they just can’t make ends meet.
“Increased utilities [costs] have caused an awful lot of angst.”
Cartwright and her fellow CAB volunteers help broker extended payment plans for clients as well as providing $50 vouchers for food, clothing, petrol and parcels of donated food distributed by Helping Hands.
It’s a tough gig, but Cartwright, a recipient of a Spirit of Moonee Valley award for outstanding community service, finds it rewarding and has no plans to retire any time soon.
“We all need a reason to get out of bed in the morning,” she says.
