Proof that life only gets better with every decade

We eagerly await childhood firsts: the first word, the first step, the first day at school. But when we think about older age, the joy of new opportunities and experiences is not the first thing that springs to mind.

Research has found the sense of purpose that comes with learning new things is an important part of ageing well. So, too, is seeing and hearing about how other people are making the most of life at every age.

Positive ageing is contagious. By sharing the lived experiences of older Australians, this series aims to change the conversation around ageing, for the positive.

For Bolton Clarke retirement living resident Maria, 70, an innate curiosity drove her to leave her career as a banker to start over in catering. And in retirement, it has meant always being on the lookout for a new adventure, big or small.

“I’ve always had the motto that you do the best that you can do, and if there’s something else that you want to try, have a go at it. Embrace opportunities even if you doubt yourself,” she says.

“I left school and went into the bank as a postage clerk. At 40 I was in a very demanding middle management job, and I was working very long hours and felt that work was taking over my being.

“I thought, ‘there’s more to life than coming home at 10 o’clock at night and not sleeping well.’ Then I saw an ad in the local paper for a certificate of commercial cookery at the local TAFE school and thought, ‘Oh, that sounds interesting.’

“So I threw in my banking career, went back to school and did a three-month full-time cooking course, and then went into hospitality for 13 years.

“I managed to get a start on the bottom rung as a kitchen hand and worked for a big catering company, then I worked my way up to management.”

Along the way, Maria found one of the great loves of her life: travel.

“I’d been working for two years, and I saved my annual leave and all my money, and Mum and I headed off to Italy, where we met Dad’s family for the first time.”

That first trip was the beginning of an obsession that continues today.

“I’ve got an inquisitive mind. I love learning about things.”

“Embrace opportunities even if you doubt yourself.”

- Maria

In 2018, Maria moved into her Bolton Clarke retirement village and found a community and a posse of regular travel companions.

“We have four married couples and three single women in my street who I travel and socialise with,” she says. “We’re all of the opinion that we’re living our best lives.

“My friend Joyce uses the words culture and adventure: to go somewhere where you’ve never been before or do something that’s out of your comfort zone and make the most of it.

“The village is a community, it’s happiness. There are some sad moments, but we’re all there for each other.

“I have enjoyed getting older because I’m now doing things that I want to do. I still feel 21, although I don’t know that I’d go back to being 21! I think each decade that you’re in, you can say is the best decade of your life.”

Bolton Clarke is Australia’s largest independent, not-for-profit aged care provider, shaping the future of positive ageing. Bolton Clarke supports people to live independently at home and across 42 retirement living communities and 87 residential aged care homes.

To hear more and join the positive ageing conversation, visit boltonclarke.com.au/positive-ageing.