Search

Placeholder Content Image

How to use reminiscing as a way of moving your health forward

<p> </p> <p>Whenever people think about moving their health forward, it’s not uncommon for them to do so by thinking about how physically active they are. And that’s good! Thinking seriously about the level and frequency of physical activity is worthwhile because it’s hugely important for healthy ageing.</p> <p>But sometimes people struggle to find forms of physical activity that they really enjoy and feel excited about pursuing. They might have the will but lack the ideas.</p> <p>Then, when people are a bit older, the issue becomes more physical. Again, they might have the will, but there might be challenges posed by injury or illness.   </p> <p>The more I’ve researched the science of physical activity and healthy ageing, the more convinced I’ve become that memory has an important part to play in enhancing our physical and mental health. Let me explain…</p> <p><strong>Our physical activities stay with us</strong></p> <p>It has long been known that some of our strongest and most positive memories are those related to sport and recreation experiences. Why? Because they tend to be multi-sensory in nature – involving sight, sound, and touch – which gives them a stronger memory trace. They also tend to be linked to exciting activities and events, which make them easier to retrieve.  </p> <p>Recently, health care professionals have been able to make good use of such memories, especially for people living with dementia. As dementia affects short-term memory more than long-term memory, it is still possible to recall and relive experiences that are long past…particularly sports-based memories.</p> <p><strong>Back to the footy</strong></p> <p>The power of such memories was recently studied for 16 older adults living with dementia. The researchers wanted to know if recalling and reliving past sporting experiences could positively impact residents’ quality of life and social functioning.</p> <p>It was found they could. Over 3 weeks, the residents met twice a week (for 60-minutes) to recall and share memoires of supporting their local football team. As a result of sharing their stories, the residents became more animated, spoke more fluently, showed more engaged social behaviours, and reported an improved quality of life.    </p> <p>Whilst further research is being conducted, reminiscence therapy appears to be a simple, cost-effective way to enhance the life experience of older adults.</p> <p><strong>Looking backwards to look forwards</strong></p> <p>Reminiscing on the past can be helpful in other ways too. Think about people in their 30s, 40s and 50s who are finding it difficult to establish a regular pattern of physical activity and exercise. This is a common problem, a part of which can be identifying enjoyable forms of physical activity…things people will feel motivated to do. </p> <p>Here’s where reminiscence can also prove to be useful. I recently interviewed five adults in their 40s and 50s about their return to physical activity and exercise. In each case, many of their happiest and most vivid memories involved the physical pursuits of their youth. As it turned out, these early experiences were also important for inspiring an improvement in their health through an increase in physically activity. </p> <p>This makes personal memories a great place to start. Thinking back to earlier times and the things we used to love doing. But not just thinking about it…doing things that help to bring those experiences to life a bit. Finding old photos, watching videos, looking at memorabilia, and/or meeting up and talking to old teammates and friends.</p> <p><strong>Reminiscence as a pathway to better health </strong></p> <p>Reminiscing in this way has the potential to inspire health change. It can help to generate ideas about how we might get moving and keep moving. Whilst that might involve doing something ‘old’ (a physical pursuit we’ve enjoyed in the past), it might also involve doing something we’ve never, ever tried before (and always wanted to try).</p> <p>Using our ability to remember and reminisce is helpful for motivation. By generating some inspiration from within ourselves, it can provide a natural source of energy that helps us out of bed in the morning and get us out the door, without needing to think about it too much!   </p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/06/spence-book.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p><em>Image: Supplied</em></p> <p><em><span lang="EN-US">Dr Gordon Spence, author of Get Moving. Keep Moving, is a highly sought-after speaker, coach, educator and author who helps clients to live well and perform well. A psychologist and exercise scientist, Gordon’s areas of expertise are sustainable performance and healthy ageing, with a particular interest in people returning to exercise in mid-life. For more information visit </span><a href="http://www.healthyageingproject.com/"><span lang="EN-US">www.healthyageingproject.com</span></a></em><span lang="EN-US"><em> </em></span></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Reader’s Respond: What do you miss most about the 90s?

<p dir="ltr">We asked our readers what they miss most about the 90s, and some of the responses took us down memory lane while others were just downright heartbreaking. </p> <p dir="ltr">From being younger, to the simplicity of life, to spending time with the kids, here are just a few of your 90s memories.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Dawn Larson</strong> - My kids were still young enough to talk to me every day and most days, I got a hug.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Yahwandi K Kunda</strong> - The Music. The simplicity, good manners, courtesy and the togetherness.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Kate Young</strong> - Everything. My family, mum and dad, youth.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Colleen Coad</strong> - Being 30 years younger!</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Alison Foster</strong> - My kids being young and wanting to do family things. The simple life and freedom.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>John Peters</strong> - An internet free life.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Martin Hession</strong> - Collingwood premiership in 1990- that kept me happy for the rest of the 90s.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Wayne Kelly Friesen</strong> - Common sense, there doesn’t seem to be any anymore.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Kathryn Potter</strong> - My younger years but most of all my Parents! My Dad died in 95 and Mum 10 days before my 50th in 2000! RIP to both of you but please give me my youth back! I truly loved the 50s, 60s, 70s and the 90s!</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Greg Thiesfield</strong> - Life.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Lori Interrante Langer </strong>- Prices.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Retirement Life

Placeholder Content Image

Reminiscence stars our own Hugh Jackman

<p>With a stellar cast including the man ‘who can do no wrong’ – Hugh Jackman – it’s a pity this movie just doesn’t seem to stack up.</p> <p>The critics are united in saying it just doesn’t excite or appeal as it should. One said, perhaps the movies’ ‘greatest crime’ was how ‘effortlessly it wastes the collective appeal of it’s a-list cast.’</p> <p>This movie is a moody, snail-paced mix of neo-noir and sci-fi. Set sometime in the future along the Miami coast - now, devastated by climate change and partially sunken - with a modified version of life still persisting on its belt nocturnally since days are just too hot.</p> <p>You can see the aim for <em>Reminiscence </em>was an existential, film-noir, but sadly, the result is a vaguely pessimistic dystopia at best.</p> <p>You’ll see nods to the likes of <em>Chinatown, Blade Runner</em> and even <em>Minority Report</em>, and while this is not a bad thing, the problem is <em>Reminiscence</em> does so little that's original it’s a pity.</p> <p><strong>Stellar cast including our own Hugh Jackman</strong></p> <p>Hugh Jackman plays the lead character, Nick Bannister and he a private eye who gets to investigate the depths of his clients’ memories. He and his fellow ex-military business partner Watts, (played by Thandiwe Newton) work together and they have a good, platonic thing going in a world where the future offers no hope and past is the only avenue that comes with jolts of optimism buried within.</p> <p>While the duo give freebies to repeat customers often, they still manage to make a living with their memory machine - a cocoon bed and a wired headpiece that plays and projects any memory the client chooses from stashes of discs, as a 3D hologram.</p> <p>The resident femme fatale of <em>Reminiscence</em> arrives in the form of Mae, the sad jazz singer played by Rebecca Ferguson. She’s clad in a spectacular, crimson-red gown that could disarm any lethal human in its presence.</p> <p>Bannister and Mae soon embark on a steamy romance but that’s only the beginning. There’s far more that happens in this dystopian future world but the problem is, when the movie’s finished, you probably won’t remember it.</p> <p>While the director, Lisa Joy, has taken some risks here and has produced an interesting film, there’s not enough to pull all the interesting effects together, which is a pity.</p> <p><strong>You can watch <em>Reminiscence</em> in cinemas if they’re open and you can rent it online at <a href="mailto:https://www.primevideo.com/?ref_=dvm_pds_amz_au_dc_s_g_mkw_sXeT8JnzH-dc_pcrid_332954201944&amp;mrntrk=slid__pgrid_34931321457_pgeo_9071803_x__ptid_kwd-2850171361">Prime Video</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Photo: Courtesy of Reminiscence </em></p> <p> </p>

Movies

Placeholder Content Image

This NSW hotel has its guests reminiscing about vinyls

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Back in 2014, Steve Dossel was a chief financial officer of a large fashion company. A few words from his son projected him in a different direction.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Daddy, don’t you love me? You’re never home to tuck me in”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It just broke my heart,” he said to </span><a href="https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/travel/2019/08/30/boogie-woogie-beach-house/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The New Daily</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. “I saw this place for sale two days later on the Friday. And bought it sight unseen over the phone on the Monday.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The place up for sale was Boogie Woogie Beach House.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The music-themed hotel with seven guestrooms, a restaurant, bar and live music venue downstairs known as FLOW BAR as well as being close to beaches and national parks.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Each of the rooms has a different theme. The Ziggy Suite will be popular with fans of David Bowie, as there’s a mosaic portrait in the shower.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, if you’re a bit more nostalgic for the days of mixtapes, the Mix Tape room features a cassette-print bedspread.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/ByUBpX2l9Zl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ByUBpX2l9Zl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Do you think this little guy even knows what those things on the wall are? #mixtape ... #Repost @sydneykids.co ・・・ Rooms inspired by the love of music 🎶 ❤️ record library to play your favourite vinyls on the record player in your room. Delicious food, bar, live music on weekends and a 3 minute walk through the rainforest to get to the beach 👌🏼</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/boogiewoogiebeachhouse/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> BWBH</a> (@boogiewoogiebeachhouse) on Jun 4, 2019 at 8:25pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s also a record player in every guestroom and there’s a stack of vinyls for guests to choose from to take back to their room and play.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You see them immediately start reminiscing,” Mr Doessel says. “Their faces just light up. You can see them remembering different parts of their youth or their early 20s or whatever it might be, and it’s taking them on a journey.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwK46TlgUxm/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwK46TlgUxm/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">It’s Record Store Day!! We need more wall space! . . 📸 @jordanroachphoto #rsdaus #recordstoreday #recordstoreday2019 #barringtoncoast #musichotel #midnorthcoast #midnorthcoastnsw #oldbar</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/boogiewoogiebeachhouse/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> BWBH</a> (@boogiewoogiebeachhouse) on Apr 12, 2019 at 2:12pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the hustle and bustle of having a live venue underneath the hotel, Mr Doessel and staff encourage guests to relax.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We once had a couple, CEOs of different companies, and their two daughters stay for two weeks,” he says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The first few days they were like, ‘Where can we can go? What can we do?’. They were a million miles an hour and I was like, ‘Guys, there’s not a lot to do here. It’s just about relaxing, going to the beach, leaving your phones in your rooms. Just take a step back from your life for a bit.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“By the time the second week came around, they were like, ‘This is the best place ever’, ‘This is the best holiday we’ve ever had, doing nothing’. It was great to watch.”</span></p>

Domestic Travel

Placeholder Content Image

Bert Newton reminisces about iconic moment on Good Morning Australia

<p><em>Good Morning Australia </em>was one of Australia’s most loved shows for the 14 years it was on our television screens.</p> <p>Now, former host Bert Newton can fondly reminisce over his days. He revealed to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/flashback/bert-newton-remembers-the-iconic-moment-he-farewelled-viewers-on-good-morning-australia/news-story/859d02bdf44bff7b6f1e5e006e2fa714" target="_blank">news.com.au</a> what happened after he ended the show right then and there in 2005.</p> <p>“They were going to have a farewell party, but I’m not into them, I don’t like farewell parties,” he told news.com.au. </p> <p>“I guess I don’t like too much closure. So I was going to finish the show, give them a good wave and go home.</p> <p>“The last shot of the show was me leaving the studio, getting in the lift and the lift door closing.”</p> <p><iframe width="650" height="366" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CoYRxcibzt0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>However, things didn’t go as planned.</p> <p>“In reality I went to my car and drove home straight from the lift and Patti had left out some sandwiches and a bottle of champagne,” Bert said.</p> <p>“As I sat down at home I realised I was still mic-ed up.</p> <p>“It was actually a bit of an anticlimax because I had to drive back to Ten to give them the microphone.”</p> <p>As Bert spends his time now with his friends, family and wife, Patti, he has a lot more freedom to reflect on the tricks of the trade within media today.</p> <p>In his 14 years on <em>Good Morning Australia</em>, Bert is proud to admit he never read from an autocue.</p> <p>In fact, if he was in charge of a TV production, that’s one of the things he’d change.</p> <p>“If I had one criticism of television now, I so seldom get the feeling that someone is actually talking to me and I think one of the reasons is because of the autocue,” he explains.</p> <p>“If I was producing a television show now, there are two things that would go immediately – the autocue and the pen or pencil.</p> <p>“Because every compere now is twiddling a pencil and it takes your eye off the magic.”</p> <p>Despite Bert not being fully retired, he admits that “the phone doesn’t ring quite as often”. However, if the right gig comes along, he will jump at it.</p> <p>“I’m not retired, but I’ve got to be honest, the phone doesn’t ring quite as often, but I’m enjoying it,” he says.</p> <p>“Even though I had nothing to do with it, the timing has been wonderful because I spend plenty of time with my grandchildren and I’ve got a wonderful wife in Patti ... we celebrate 45 years of marriage this year. I’m also so proud of my children Matthew and Lauren."</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwUNmFHJXJ8/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwUNmFHJXJ8/" target="_blank">A perfect day celebrating our precious Perla’s Christening. Thanks @Jenwun for the photo x</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/pattinewtonofficial/" target="_blank"> Patti Newton</a> (@pattinewtonofficial) on Apr 16, 2019 at 5:06am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“If something came along that appeals to me I would enjoy doing it, but I never get into a situation where I think, why not me?” Bert ponders.</p> <p>“I’ve been so lucky. If I was to be ungrateful in any way for my career, that could make me a person of not too much substance.</p> <p>“I’ve been lucky, but in fairness, I’ve also worked hard too.”</p>

TV

Placeholder Content Image

Reminiscing on my childhood in 1950’s Australia

<p><em><strong>Rosalie Busch, 71, recently retired from her job as a School Services Officer in South Australia. She’s married with two children. She enjoys live theatre, reading and travel.</strong></em></p> <p>When I was five or six years old my mother sent me off to join Bjelke Petersen’s School of Physical Culture (Physie as it is more commonly known) because, she believed, as there was every indication that I was going to be tall, it would benefit my posture as I grew and prevent me from becoming ‘round-shouldered’ (her words).</p> <p align="center"><img width="170" height="260" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/43399/3.jpg" alt="3 (11)"/></p> <p align="center"><em>This young physie girl was obviously a ‘Champion Girl’ and is wearing a similar outfit to the one I wore.</em></p> <p>The program was a mixture of gymnastics and dance and I really enjoyed it. I continued to attend well into my teen years.</p> <p>There were competitions held and an end of year concert.</p> <p>When I was nine I won ‘Champion Girl’ for our district. I was overwhelmed and still don’t know how my legs carried me onto the stage to receive my medal. That was the only time mum and dad were not able to attend one of these events.  Mixed feelings all around! I still have the medal.</p> <p>My greatest desire was to learn classical ballet but my mother informed me my height was against me there so I bowed to her wishes or rather never discussed or argued the matter.</p> <p>As time went by more houses appeared in our street.</p> <p>I became friendly with the neighbours opposite our house and, in particular, with their eldest daughter. She was one for pressing her parents’ buttons and was always in trouble. However, we liked each other and spent a bit of time together during school holidays (she did not go to the same school as I did).</p> <p>Next to our property was a vacant block which had not been cleared and was overgrown with tea-tree. One summer my friend decided we should build a cubby-house in the tea-tree, take some bread with us and make toast. She secured the matches, I supplied the bread, and of course you can guess what happened next.  I will never forget my mother’s face as she held the garden hose over the fence while waiting for the fire-brigade to arrive.</p> <p>Both my friend and I made a hasty retreat. She hid under her house and I was sobbing so much I don’t think Mum could bring herself to reprimand me too severely. Thankfully the house and the fence were not touched and my friend was grounded for some time. I was not.</p> <p>Summer holidays was also a time for pumping up the bicycle tyres, attaching a basket, grabbing sandwiches and soft drink and disappearing for the day with parting words from Mum – “be home before it gets dark”.  Wow, such freedom and what adventures we had!</p> <p>Saturday afternoons were often spent either watching my father play cricket (summer) or watching my brother play soccer (winter).  It wasn’t a ‘chore’ for me because I always enjoyed being a spectator, especially when family was involved. I didn’t participate in a sport myself until I was at high school although I was always a keen swimmer.</p> <p>My father had a lovely singing voice. Most nights, while sharing the washing and drying of dishes we would harmonise, singing songs Dad taught me from the war years. I loved that time together and I can still retrieve some of those old melodies – if called upon to do so – but I really don’t think that will happen!</p> <p>It was some years before Dad was given a company car. Up until that time he caught a train to work each day (not really a hardship) and when we visited our grandparents it was a journey which necessitated catching two buses. Both sets of grandparents lived in Five Dock, a suburb closer to the city and about 13 km from our home.</p> <p>Having a car meant we could journey further afield and I remember on many a hot day mum would pack a picnic tea and when Dad arrived home from work we would depart for Manly Beach. Along with a whole pile of Sydneysiders, we would eat our tea on the grass under the pines and swim for hours, never wanting to return to the heat of our house.</p> <p>Mum always made sure Christmas lunch was traditionally English in keeping with her heritage. A roast dinner, plum pudding (containing threepences) with brandy sauce and fruit mince pies was the order of the day. Both sets of grandparents and a close Aunt and cousin joined us at our Christmas table each year.</p> <p>The weekend preceding Christmas we would make the journey to our family at Woodford in the Blue Mountains. We enjoyed an early Christmas with my Uncle (mum’s brother), Aunt and three cousins. After lunch Dad and my Uncle would venture into the bush to find our pine Christmas tree which we loaded onto our car for the journey home. I can’t remember the time in my life when this tradition ceased but I do remember the fresh pine smell throughout the house for quite a few Christmases.</p> <p>Even though money was in short supply in our younger years, my brother and I always received Christmas gifts which had been on our Santa list. Whether it be a doll and cradle or Davey Crocket hat and meccano set, somehow they made it under our tree.                               </p> <p>Davey Crocket was a 19th Century American hero referred to as “King of the Wild Frontier”.  My brother was a big fan and when replicas of the hat he wore hit the stores he had to have one!</p> <p>I can remember hanging the billy-can on the front fence for the milkman who would fill the can from a vat in his van and chasing the baker’s cart up the street to get the fresh bread – which was still warm – before it was delivered to our home so we could tear some of the bread out of the middle of the loaf. Delicious!</p> <p>And then there was the ‘Sani’ Man (Sanitation). I can’t remember how many times per week he came but he was the person who took away our full toilet pans and delivered fresh ones. Sewerage had not been connected to our area and we had the traditional ‘outhouse’. Mum used to leave a ten-shilling note on the toilet seat for our Sani man every Christmas.  We very rarely got to see him – he usually came in the early hours (which was probably a good thing!). Sewerage was finally connected not long after we moved into the house. Such luxury!</p> <p>The ‘garbos’ were a very athletic lot. Their huge clanking truck, which could be heard for miles, carried men who would jump off the truck, grab a bin, run back to the truck and empty the contents into the truck, replace the bin and continue on this path down every street. They must have been the fittest people on the planet!</p> <p>Another regular visitor was the Ice Man. Refrigerators were available in the 1950’s but were not cheap. Too expensive for us and for many families at that time, we kept our perishables cold in an ice chest. The ice man would arrive carrying a huge block of ice on his shoulder (his shoulder was protected from the</p> <p>cold by a large piece of leather) and it was placed in the side compartment of the wooden upright chest. As the ice melted water drained down the back of the chest into a tray underneath. Mum (or Dad) would slide out the tray and empty the water every so often. I can’t remember how often the Ice Man made his delivery but I’m guessing it would have been more often during the summer months. Great celebrations the day we were able to purchase our one door, Kelvinator refrigerator!</p> <p>At the end of every week day when Dad was still ‘training’ it to work, we would wait at the top of our driveway to see him turn the corner after his 3-mile walk (almost 5 km) home from the railway station. He always carried the evening newspaper under his arm and one particular day I remember him opening the paper where the front page read “WAR” which was in reference to the Suez Canal crisis. At the time, I did not understand what this all meant but seeing that one word did scare me.</p> <p>I think it scared mum and dad too and many others like them as WW2 was still very fresh in their minds.</p> <p>In a nutshell, anger erupted in 1956 when the Egyptian president announced that the canal was to be nationalised. The canal had been owned by the Suez Canal Company which was controlled by British and French interests. Fearing that petroleum shipments from the Persian Gulf to Western Europe would be cut off, troops were sent in. Israel also had a beef with Egypt and they also entered the debacle. However, Anglo-French troops and Israeli troops withdrew a few months later with the threat of possible Soviet intervention.</p> <p>Everyone’s childhood holds special memories, and there are memories that are not so special, but I think it is better to reminisce about the good times. I know there were many in my childhood.  One word which comes to mind when describing this time in my life is, I think, ‘uncluttered’.</p> <p>The year I turned twelve I started High School and that, my friends, is another story for another day.</p> <p><em>You can read part one of Rosalie’s childhood memories series <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/2017/09/rosalie-busch-reminiscing-on-childhood-part-1/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></strong></a>. </em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Diane Keaton reminisces about her famous romances

<p>Diane Keaton has never been married, but she sure has had a number of high-profile romances with famous men.</p> <p>The famed actress, now 71, has fond romances of her “many loves” as she cheekily calls her exes.</p> <p>In an exclsuive interview with<strong> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://people.com/movies/diane-keaton-hollywood-romances/">PEOPLE</a></span></strong>, she reveals she “had a crush” on Al Pacino when they worked together on The Godfather in 1971.</p> <p><img width="449" height="300" src="https://peopledotcom.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/diane-al-pacino.jpg?w=2000" class="image--should-lazyload image--did-lazyload" style="opacity: 1; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>“I was mad for him. Charming, hilarious, a nonstop talker,” says Keaton of when the pair became a couple.</p> <p>“There was an aspect of him that was like a lost orphan, like this kind of crazy idiot savant. And oh, gorgeous!”</p> <p>When Pacino would not commit to marriage, Keaton says she gave him an ultimatum. The relationship ended.</p> <p>“I worked hard on that one. I went about it in not a perfect way,” she says.</p> <p>Looking back on her life in pictures in the new issue of PEOPLE, Keaton reminisces about her past loves, including Warren Beatty, her co-star and director in 1981’s Reds.</p> <p>“He is just a brilliant character,” she says. “So complex and charming. He should have made more movies.”</p> <p><img width="277" height="393" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/04/25/article-2613440-1D4DD5DC00000578-834_634x898.jpg" alt="Image result for keaton warren beatty" class="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>She fell hard for him, and looking back at the movie, she says a scene in particular stayed with her.</p> <p>“I slam the door in his face and then we make up, of course,” she says. “It felt real. I think when you know someone well, you feel comfortable in your acting enough to do that.”</p> <p>For the Annie Hall star though, it’s one of her earliest romances with Woody Allen that has stood the test of time. They’ve kept a close friendship since the early 1970s when they first were involved.</p> <p>“He is so hilarious and I just adored him, I really did,” she says.</p> <p><img width="463" height="341" src="https://peopledotcom.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/diane-woody-afi.jpg?w=2000" class=" img--orientation-landscape" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Allen drew on their relationship when writing Annie Hall, “but he didn’t know if the movie would work. He would say, ‘It’s just another sitcom.’ I knew it was a great script.”</p> <p>“I have dinner with Woody and [his wife] Soon Yi whenever I go to New York. I pick up the check, that’s how generous I am,” Keaton says.</p> <p>She’s also stood by her close friend’s side since allegation he sexually abused his daughter Dylan Farrow first aired. Allen has denied the allegation and Keaton firmly concludes, “I believe him.”</p>

Movies

Placeholder Content Image

How “reminiscence therapy” is changing lives

<p>“Reminiscence therapy” may sound like a strange concept, but it’s working wonders in the aged care community. According to the American Psychological Association, reminiscence therapy is “the use of life histories – written, oral or both – to improve psychological wellbeing.”</p> <p>Essentially, self-reflection is our best defence when it comes to preventing memory loss and preserving our stories for future generations. Feros Care CEO Jennene Buckley told <a href="https://www.yourlifechoices.com.au/preserving-memories" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">YourLifeChoices</span></strong></a> that this unique brand of therapy benefits both carers and their patients, improving communication and understanding.</p> <p>“Preserving memories of seniors provides a meaningful experience for everyone involved.” She said. Reminiscing can provide a historical record – through tracing the stories behind the traditions and heirlooms, collecting and compiling photos, family recipes and family keepsakes to create a legacy for loved ones. The increase in positivity following reminiscence therapy can help carers improve their relationship with the senior in their care.”</p> <p>In fact, reminiscence therapy isn’t just for the elderly – we all do it throughout our lives as a way of understanding ourselves better and connecting with our personal history.</p> <p>Fortunately, reminiscence therapy is something we can all do easily with our loved ones, and it is believed to have particularly good benefits for those suffering dementia. Simply recalling previous events and moments in their life can help them gain a greater sense of self awareness and understanding, both of which are often the first things to disappear when a patient is diagnosed.</p> <p>According to Buckley, other benefits include:</p> <ul> <li>Improved mood</li> <li>Better interpersonal relationships</li> <li>Enhanced social skills</li> <li>Fewer feelings of loneliness</li> <li>Increased self-awareness</li> <li>Greater relationship with the carer</li> </ul> <p>You may have been conducting reminiscence therapy for years and not even known it. What do you think about this new therapy? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/health/caring/2016/05/how-to-stay-independent-longer/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">4 ways to stay independent for longer</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/health/caring/2016/05/technology-is-revolutionising-aged-care/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Technology is revolutionising aged care</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/health/caring/2016/05/communicating-with-people-with-dementia/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Communicating with people with dementia</strong></em></span></a></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

101-year-old friends reminisce about friendship spanning decades

<p>It was a world ago – seven decades ago, to be precise – that a random act of kindness from a stranger sparked the beginning of a beautiful friendship between two men from central Queensland in Australia. </p> <p>Ted Broadhurst, a bridge builder for the Main Roads department, was building the Hamilton Creek Bridge on the Burnett Highway, when he walked to the local school nearby to ask a teacher if he could collect some water from the rainwater tank to boil his billy. The teacher’s name was Dave Daniels and now, both 101 years of age, the men still get together to catch up and reminisce on the years that have passed, as well as catch up on new gossip.</p> <p>"In the past five years I've gone a bit too deaf. I only get half the story told to me, and it might be half wrong," Mr Daniels told ABC Capricornia.</p> <p>"My hearing's no good [either]," Mr Broadhurst said.</p> <p>"There might be a lot of times I should be saying yes but I've said no."</p> <p>While the two men’s lives have gone through ups and down throughout the years, and as life intervened sometimes that would mean months upon months without speaking, they both always made an effort to maintain their friendship.</p> <p>"I was in the hospital at the Mater last year for eight weeks. He used to come across and see me at the hospital," Mr Broadhurst said.</p> <p>Mr Daniels now lives at an aged care facility and Mr Broadhurst is a regular visitor.</p> <p>"He's always been pretty straightforward to everybody," he said of his mate.</p> <p>"He's been a friend of everybody."</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/health/wellbeing/2015/10/ways-to-increase-mental-strength/"></a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/11/funny-things-grandkids-say-part-4/"><em>The funniest things grandkids kids say</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/health/wellbeing/2015/10/ways-to-increase-mental-strength/"></a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/11/sacrifices-grandparents-make-study/"><em>The many things grandparents sacrifice for their family</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/health/wellbeing/2015/10/ways-to-increase-mental-strength/"></a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/11/interspecies-animal-friendships/">15 unlikely friendships that will melt your heart</a></em></strong></span></p>

News

Our Partners

Over 60

© Copyright 2024 OverSixty.All Rights Reserved.