Earlier this Year, I stepped into the role as your Acting President, as Kath Frowen decided to step aside for personal reasons, and without hesitation I welcome this opportunity.

I continue to advocate towards the importance of Social Connection and prevention of loneliness and social isolation for Senior Victorians.

I utilised my skillsets and experiences to ensure transparency and Good Governance with the LACVI Board since joining in 2017, and I will continue to do so in this new role.

This year will be exciting:

1. Submitted our Request for continued Funding to the Vic Govt.
2. Increasing our Board Members with diverse skillsets and experiences.
3. Continue to bring LACs into the Digital-world with our LAMP Project and grateful as Kath Frowen has decided to stay to look after LAMP.
4. Continue with our Marketing & Branding Strategies to promote LAC into Diverse, Multicultural and Emerging Communities.
5. Continue to engage with the Local Council Positive Ageing Officers to promote LAC.
6. Focus into the Country and Regional areas in Victoria.
7. Continue the connection and collaboration amongst all LAC Member Clubs.
8. Excited with our Goal of 10,000 Members with 30 LAC Clubs by 2026.

I am excited on the future of LAC and LACVI, and can only be achieved with the amazing support from the current Board, our incredible Office Coordinator, Debbie, the support from LAC Clubs, with some LAC members who are willing to assist with special projects. Now is a great time to reconnect and re-engage by coming to the Council Meetings. Life is Better, Together.

Alex Sy
Acting President - Life Activities Clubs Victoria Inc.

Definition of dementia?

Dementia describes a collection of symptoms that are caused by disorders affecting the brain. It is not one specific disease. Dementia affects thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday tasks. Brain function is affected enough to interfere with the person’s normal social or working life.

Australian statistics
(as at March 2023):

• Dementia is the second leading cause of death of all Australians and provisional data is showing that dementia will likely soon be the leading cause of death.
• Dementia is the leading cause of death for women.
• In 2023, it is estimated there are more than 400,000 Australians living with dementia. Without a medical breakthrough, the number of people with dementia is expected to increase to more than 800,000 by 2058.
• In 2023, it is estimated there are more than 28,650 people with younger onset dementia, expected to rise to more than 42,400 people by 2058. This can include people in their 30s, 40s and 50s.
• In 2023, it is estimated that more than 1.5 million people in Australia are involved in the care of someone living with dementia.
• 2 in 3 people with dementia are thought to be living in the community.
• More than two-thirds (68.1%) of aged care residents have moderate to severe cognitive impairment.

Dementia risk reduction

Being brain healthy is relevant at any age, whether you are young, old or in between. However, it is particularly important once you reach middle age as this is when changes start to occur in the brain.
While we cannot change getting older, genetics or family history, scientific research suggests that changing certain health and lifestyle habits may make a big difference to reducing or delaying your risk of developing dementia.

There are 12 recommendations for reducing risk for cognitive decline released by the World Health Organisation:

What is dementia?

Dementia is the term used to describe the symptoms of a large group of illnesses which cause a progressive decline in a person’s functioning. It is a broad term used to describe a loss of memory, intellect, rationality, social skills and physical functioning. There are many types of dementia including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia and Lewy body disease. Dementia can happen to anybody, but it is more common after the age of 65.

Who is Dementia Australia?

Dementia Australia is the source of trusted information, education and services for the estimated half a million Australians living with dementia, and the almost 1.6 million people involved in their care. We advocate for positive change and support vital research. We are here to support people impacted by dementia, and to enable them to live as well as possible.
Dementia Australia, previously called Alzheimer’s Australia, is the national peak body for people, of all ages, living with all forms of dementia, their families and carers. It provides advocacy, support services, education and information.

Further help?

• Visit the Dementia Australia website: www.dementia.org.au/
• Call the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500.
• For information, advice, common sense approaches and practical strategies on the topics most commonly raised about dementia, read Dementia Australia’s Help Sheets available under Resources on their website.

Source: Dementia Australia website.

Today, you can expect to live approximately 30 years longer than your great-great grandparents did 100 years ago. These extra years provide limitless opportunities to travel, spend time with family and friends, take on new challenges and do the things you love.

But the value of these extra years relies greatly on one key factor: health. While we all age at the same rate chronologically, some people’s bodies and minds age faster than others biologically. This is why the 97 year-old gymnast Johanna Quaas can perform seemingly effortless flips and handstands while another 97 year-old you know may struggle to climb the stairs or live independently.

The rate at which we age biologically is heavily influenced by our lifestyle. Engaging in healthy behaviours (healthy diet, regular physical activity, avoiding smoking and excess alcohol) throughout over lives can significantly slow biological ageing and help prevent or delay many of the health issues associated with getting older.

Around our forties, we typically begin to lose about 1% of our muscle mass and 2 to 3% of our strength each year. Over time, this can lead to a disease called sarcopenia, which is characterised by low muscle mass and strength. Sarcopenia impairs our ability to independently perform daily physical tasks like walking, climbing and lifting, and increases risk of falls and physical disability. Most importantly, it can lead to poor quality of life during those extra years we have won over the past century.

The good news is that we have effective tools to prevent, and in some cases even reverse, sarcopenia. By far the most powerful tool is exercise, particularly resistance exercise (such as lifting weights). Research has consistently shown that regular resistance exercise that involves increasingly challenging exercises over time builds muscle, improves strength and reduces the risk of developing a disability in older adults, even among those in their 90s or living in long-term care.

The next important tool is a nutritious diet that provides enough protein, which is found in foods like meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, beans, lentils, tofu and nuts. Research indicates that older adults may need to eat more protein to help preserve their muscle mass as they age. At each meal, older adults are encouraged to eat a moderate serving of protein-rich foods, equivalent to approximately 3 – 4 oz (85 – 113 grams) of meat, poultry, or fish, or two to three eggs plus a glass of milk, to help maximise rates of muscle building over the day.

If you are worrying that you may have missed the boat, fear not. It’s never too late to start eating and exercising for healthy ageing...and you never know, soon you too may be doing flips like Quaas!

To learn more about how you can eat and exercise your way to healthy ageing, attend our free public seminar where health and wellbeing experts from the Australian Catholic University will deliver practical advice on habits to future-proof your health.

Article by: Dr Caoileann Murphy - Australian Catholic University

Four days of rest, relaxation, pampering and fun with my daughter from Sydney, a ‘girls weekend’ was a pleasant diversion in our national capital for Easter.

Nicola had suggested hiring an e-Scooter for a ride around Lake Burley Griffin, so after a career in OH&S, I decided NOT to join the list of e-Scooter casualties a friend was warning me about. My Pilates teacher increased balance and strength training and I practiced on a friends e-Scooter, admittedly never going more than 6km per hour!

We hired an e-Scooter each and set off! I rode around the mall across from our hotel to get my confidence up, it was fun and I felt in control. The orange Neon’s have a few more controls to manage than my friends’ model, so I was a little nervous passing people on foot.

After about 10 minutes, I had a bit of an ‘incident’ going over a pedestrian bridge (but totally unrecorded thankfully). Suddenly realising I was going too fast down the slope, and panicking about avoiding an elderly couple on the left, I moved well over to the right side. I started to lose my balance, thinking of too many things at once, like: BRAKES; DON’T CRASH; MIND THE RAILING; and DON’T HIT THE OLD MAN! My right arm reached out towards the railing and my right foot went down on the ground and the scooter shot out from under me. I managed to grab the top of the railing and was running along with the momentum, trying not to join the scooter sprawled on the ground! Amazingly, I didn’t fall over! The old man picked up my scooter and his concerned wife asked if I’d hurt myself, but I could barely answer as I couldn’t stop laughing.

Nicola, who had witnessed it all from afar, ran back and we walked sedately off the bridge. We then engaged in some intense braking practice!

After an hour of riding around the lake, we arrived at the Park Hyatt Canberra for a lovely lunch in the Tea Rooms. We both got a bit hysterical when recalling the ‘incident’ because it was rather like those comedy treadmill moments in movies, when the hapless hero goes to stop, only to speed up and fly off the end!

Article by: Kath Frowen - LACVI board

I dispute the saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” I may be an old dog, although not as shaggy or saggy as some folk I could mention, but I’m certainly prepared to learn a few new ‘tricks’! My most recent effort is a game called Rummikub, new to my local Life Activities Club (Port Phillip LAC).

Not one to resist a challenge, being a devoted 500 player (even if they won’t let me play with my favourite team-mate - because we keep winning) and a pretty reasonable Mah Jong aficionado, I went along prepared to be humbled. Unfortunately I wasn’t disappointed!

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great game. Played using coloured and numbered tiles including a few jokers, it allows manipulations and requires strategic moves. I took to it like a duck to water! There’s just one little rule (although you’d think it was a MAJOR rule by the reactions I get when I try playing it), which my 79 year old brain just doesn’t seem to compute – a tiny mental block to put it kindly!

I feel sure my dear friends and team mates at PPLAC will continue to be patient with me on this little minor matter – even if more than half of them think I’m ‘having them on’ to get a rise, and they might not be wrong.

Article by: Tugo Tucun - Port Phillip LAC President

Eventually we will all need to stop driving. The ideal approach to retiring from driving is to gradually transition from regular driving, to using alternative transport options. If you have concerns about someone’s driving, you need to talk to them about it. Equally, if someone speaks to you about your driving, you need to listen and reflect on your own driving. All drivers, no matter what age, should routinely consider ‘am I still fit to drive?’

Roberts Story

Julie’s father, Robert, was living independently in country Victoria and had been driving safely for 66 years. Robert lived a couple of kilometres out of town and drove most days to the local shops. Julie received a phone call from Robert’s neighbour, reporting that her dad had recently been driving erratically, and that his car had sustained some damage. The neighbour counselled Julie to ‘get him off the road quickly’. Julie knew how important driving was to her father to maintain his independence. He’d already made some changes and no longer drove long distances or at night.

A couple of years ago, they had installed blind spot side mirrors on his car to alleviate difficulties turning his head. Threatening to take his keys away wouldn’t be respectful; Julie knew a more gradual approach was needed, along with discussions about reducing risks and alternatives to driving. Julie called Robert to say she was coming to visit and downloaded a driver self-assessment guide from the VicRoads website to take with her.

During the visit, Julie accompanied Robert on his morning drive to the local shops. She noticed his mobility had deteriorated, he found it difficult to get in and out of the car, and he had difficulty manoeuvring the car into and out of a parking spot. Over the course of the weekend, Julie talked through the self-assessment guide with Robert. He said yes to quite a few of the prompts. At one point, he remarked that the local shops were busier now and he couldn’t always get his ‘easy’ parking spot out the front. Julie reminded him that she wanted him to be safe on the road for as long as possible, but staying safe would mean making some changes to reduce his risk.

Before she left, Julie talked to her father about getting a lift to the shops with his friend Jack, and also asked Jack to check if Robert wanted to carpool sometimes. On her next visit, Julie gave her dad information from the local council’s website about alternative transport services―such as local taxis and a community bus. Robert’s friend Jack was now driving him into town once a week, and Julie helped Robert book a taxi for his doctor’s appointment that coming week.

After a few weeks, Robert confessed that he enjoyed the company when travelling with others, and didn’t miss the stress of finding a car park. Julie asked when the car registration was due and wondered if it was worth the expense renewing it. A couple of months later, happy with his alternative options for getting around, Robert decided to save his money and retire from driving.

Quick links for further information

vicroads.vic.gov.au
Search on any of the following terms to find specific information:
Medical conditions, medical report, fitness to drive, getting around without a car, self-assessment guide.

racv.com.au
Search for ‘Transport options for seniors’ to find a brochure about getting around on all forms of public transport, taxis and by bike.

When you need to get out and about, there are car-free transport options, including:

For more information visit: Vic Roads and search for 'How ageing can affect your driving'.

Sourch: vicroads.vic.gov.au - transitioning away from driving

This is our favourite topic to revisit each year - How we can help you save money on your Telco bill! We always tell our community this... Your Telco provider will never call you to offer you a better deal, and if you don’t check the latest deals, you’ll be paying the old rates. It’s always good to do a yearly audit of your current Telco plans (both mobile and landline).

We actually get a thrill when we assist people with their smartphone plans and see how much money they can save simply by making a quick switch! Here’s how:

Switch over to a silent achiever!
Smaller providers are reselling Telstra, Optus and Vodafone coverage, without the high prices. There are many smaller providers on the market, and here are our top picks:

1. Aldi Mobile. Aldi sells SIM cards online and through its supermarket chain, and offer really great value on the Telstra network.

For just $25 for a 30 day phone plan, you can get:
- Unlimited standard calls, SMS and MMS.
- 25GB data
- Unlimited standard International calls and SMS to 15 countries.
- 3-in-1 SIM which fits all handsets

There are several other plans available from their website here

2. Amaysim runs on the Optus network, and has some great sim only plans. We chose Amaysim for another one of our clients, as they were already on the Optus network and didn’t need much data.

For just $20 for a 28 day phone plan, you can get:
- 16GB data (For the first 6 months, then 8GB ongoing), Optus 4G Plus network. Additional data (if you run out) is $10/1GB.
- Unlimited talk and text.
- Unlimited international: Standard talk to mobiles & landlines in 28 countries and standard SMS & MMS to mobiles in selected countries.

You could also opt for the Yearly Plan:
There are several other plans available from their website here

For $180 for your first year ($200 for the next year)
- 180GB data for 12 months (or 15GB monthly)
- Unlimited talk and text.
- Unlimited international: Standard talk to mobiles & landlines in 28 countries and standard SMS & MMS to mobiles in selected countries.

3. Kogan Mobile runs on the Vodafone network, and has some great SIM only plans. They have options for: 30 Day Plans, 90 Days Plans, 365 Days or 365 Day Flex. We have chosen the 365 Day Flex Plans for many clients as it gives you 1 year to use up your credit.

For just $25 a month, you get
- 40GB data
- Unlimited talk and text.
- Unlimited international: Standard talk to mobiles & landlines in 28 countries and standard SMS & MMS to mobiles in selected countries.

For new customers, you can spend $120 for a Small, 365 Day Flex Plan (that’s $10 per 30 Days)
- Free SIM card included
- 120GB of data to use over 365 days
- Unlimited standard national calls
- Unlimited standard texts and MMS
- All for use within Australia
- Incredible value prepaid plan – no hidden fees!

View their 365 Day Flex plans here

4. Better Life Mobile offers mobile plans over the Telstra network with a focus on providing services to those on lower incomes. We have been thoroughly impressed by Better Life Mobile because you can speak to people from their Australian Support Center. We had a client struggling to install the SIM, so we called their support center for help.

The answer our team received from Better Life Mobile surprised us... The Customer Service Representative offered to meet our client at their local community center and helped her switch off the mobile and ensured the SIM card was working before he left! Isn’t that some of the best customer service you’ve heard of from a telco in a while?

Their cheapest plan is $109 for 12 months ($9.08 per month) which gives you:
- 500MB Data per month
- Unlimited Standard Calls
- Unlimited SMS & MMS

If you require more data, they have plans that range from $18 per month for 3.5GB data through to $39 per month for 34GB data.

If you’re looking for a cheaper mobile phone plan, definitely have a look at Better Life Mobile here

If you are currently with Telstra, Optus or Vodafone, and paying direct - it’s definitely worth revisiting your current deal, and thinking about switching over to a smaller provider such as Aldi Mobile, Kogan Mobile, Amaysim or Better Life Mobile (providing you are out of contract with them ie. not paying off your phone).

If you need advice on your plans, get in touch with us - We’d love to help, and we love helping people save money!

Digital technology has become intertwined with modern life and the way many people socialise, work and access a range of services. However, not everyone is connected with the digital world, and learning where to start can be overwhelming.

This digital divide is particularly common among senior Australians. According to the Australian Digital Inclusion Index, older people are most likely to be excluded from a range of digital activities, which can result is a sense of isolation, disconnect and frustration.

That said, we know that many older people are very interested in doing more online with the right support and assistance.

To support seniors with improving their skills and knowledge with digital technology, the Victorian Government recently announced $2 million in funding for the Digital Literacy for Seniors Program. This program is offered in public libraries, to give senior Victorians hands-on training to better understand and confidently use a range of digital technology, such as the internet, smartphones and laptops.

The Digital Literacy for Seniors Program covers a range of topics, including understanding the internet, managing phone data, and using social media platforms like Facebook to connect with family or friends. You can also learn how to avoid scams and how to use smartphone apps like MyGov, to access important information and services.

This specialised program involves one-to-one or small group sessions, so participants can learn at a pace that feels comfortable, while focusing on topics that are relevant and suit individual needs. Participants can also choose to bring in their own devices to learn on, such as a smartphone or iPad, or use the library’s range of devices.

To learn more about the Digital Literacy for Seniors Program, speak with your local library and see how you can get involved.

Article by: Gerard Mansour - Commissioner for Senior Victorians

With the recent ANZAC Day memorials and parades, I began thinking about all the people on the periphery who are affected by war, other than the military personnel. Here are just a few of our members stories - of their parents experiences in the UK and Europe in WW2, and an Australian nurses experience in Vietnam.

Editor: Kath Frowen.

Recalling being born and brought up as kids in post-war UK, married couple Laurie and Jennifer O’Toole, members of Port Phillip Life Activities Club (PPLAC), were both brought up in Salford near Manchester in the northeast of England.

Laurie recalls:
I was born in 1946, one year after the end of WW2. I remember the bomb sites where the houses had been destroyed, particularly one which was a big building and had been totally flattened. We used to play in what had been the cellar of the building, there was no danger to us kids because the masonry and rubble had been cleared away. They just hadn’t rebuilt it because England took probably 20 years to finish rebuilding. There was a shortage of oranges in the UK and the children were given vitamin C to keep them healthy.

Laurie’s father was a shipwright and during WW2 he worked on ships metal hulls to de-magnetise them to avoid magnetic bombs planted by the Germans.

At the start of the second World war, my dad Gerard Gerritsen was a 20 year old boy. He lived on a farm not far from the German border. Early May 1940 he was conscripted to defend the Netherlands against the invasion from Germany. The Battle of Grebbeberg lasted three days, from May 11 – 13.

Dad went back to his family home, but a little later was taken prisoner and transported to Germany to work. Luckily he managed to escape, as he knew the area well.

The population lived quite well under the circumstances, as they grew their own vegetables and hid the animals away from the German soldiers. Every time the German soldiers appeared, the local boys fled into the surrounding forests and waited for the soldiers to leave.

My mam Nelly and her family lived in Amsterdam. Life in the city was difficult, as there was hardly any food and people perished. Her desperate parents decided to send their three daughters away into the country to try and find some food. After riding her bike, on the rims, no tyres, for about 200 km, she ended up at the farm. Gerards parents took her in and gave her a job on the farm. My dad, who happened to be engaged at the time, totally fell in love with this mundane city girl. The engagement was annulled and the couple dated till the end of World War II. Every now and again, they rode their bikes packed with food to Amsterdam and back.

They married in July 1946 and a year later I was born! I owe my existence to World War II.

In the early stages of WW2, over a 10 day period 26th May – 4th June 1940, over 338,000 allied soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk, across the English Chanel to Dover. [Read more historical information about Operation Dynamo and the evacuation of Dunkirk: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkirk_evacuation].

My father John Cain, was a regular soldier in the Manchester regiment of the British Expeditionary Force stationed in France from the beginning of the war. As a machine gunner he was helping to defend the roads so ambulances could get to the beach and the flotilla of rescue boats. A German tank rolled over John’s foxhole and he and his comrades were lined up against a wall and shot. They were all killed except John, when the bullet hit his face, shattering his teeth, narrowly missing his eye and lodging in his maxillary sinus. He was found unconscious days later by another German patrol. Although unable to see due to swelling, he was marched across France and the Netherlands, then trucked to a POW camp. A German surgeon removed the embedded bullet from his left cheek.

John was moved to several POW camps across Europe because he kept escaping and was forced to do hard labour in the salt mines. He was in Stalag Luft lll in 1944 (made famous in the film The Great Escape) and helped with the distribution of soil from the various tunnels whilst exercising in the prison yard. Only officers were chosen to be part of the actual escape. [For more on the Great Escape movie see: https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Great-Escape. British soldiers were critical of the movie because no Americans were actually involved in the true event]. Although he subsequently escaped, John was in hiding in Czechoslovakia when the Russians invaded Europe in 1945.

He eventually returned to England and married my mother in 1946. He hated the temporary false teeth he had to use after the war but finally got ‘normal’ ones when the HNS began in the UK. After giving evidence at the war crimes tribunals, regarding the treatment of the POW’s, he unbelievably was denied a pension because as a regular soldier he was considered not to have served his full term of service (despite being a POW for over 5 years)!

My memories of my father are of a very kind, generous man and a wonderful loving father.

Jenny Hunter (née Dyason) trained as a nurse and midwife in Melbourne, then at 25 went to London for two years and worked in a neurosurgical unit. When returning to Melbourne in 1964, she worked at Prince Henry’s Hospital in theatre with the Neurosurgical Unit.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs supported the sending of medical and surgical teams to South Vietnam between 1964 and 1972 to care for injured civilians. The teams were issued diplomatic passports and were paid by the Australian Government. This was before Australian military involvement in the war. Because the local South Vietnamese hospital staff were mostly conscripted into their armies to care for the soldiers, the hospitals didn’t have enough staff to help the civilian population. Over 400 Australian nurses went during that time. The teams were made up of surgeons, anaesthetists and physicians, medical and surgical nurses, radiographers, technicians and other allied health professionals. Australian hospitals supplied the teams in rotations of 12 months, beginning with a team from the Royal Melbourne Hospital. When Prince Henry’s Hospital sent a team, Jenny was recruited to be amongst them.

She was there for 9 months, at a provincial hospital in Long Xuyen in the Mekong Delta south of Saigon. It was a peaceful country town with French influenced architecture and there was only an occasional sound of bombs in the distance. The local bakery made beautiful baguettes and the local food was always fresh and tasty. The social life was great as there was an American Army Unit stationed nearby to ensure the team’s security and consequently their entertainment! The Americans also had a Civilian Infrastructure Unit nearby who were rebuilding villages for displaced civilians, canals, etc.

Jenny says she learned a lot – especially how to ‘make-do’ with what was available regarding equipment and supplies, devising all sorts of things to be able to operate successfully. The hours were long and they were luck to get two days off every three weeks.

After being back in Australia for 18 months, Jenny returned to Vietnam for another 6 months with the Surgical Team from The Alfred Hospital in Bien Hoa, in Gia Dinh province further 45km north of Saigon. The team leader was Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop who was a general surgeon and became a good friend.

Even to this day she maintains close friendships with the colleagues she worked with in Vietnam. They had to work closely together years afterwards to seek recognition from the Australian Government for their service, because many suffered long-term effects from their exposure to chemicals used in Vietnam, such as Agent Orange. After many years lobbying, they were finally successful. Jenny has suffered non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma twice but has thankfully survived to tell the tale and is now in her 80’s.

Overall Jenny recalls the experience as wonderful and lots of fun. The work was exciting, the local people were gentle, kind and very grateful and all the staff and team members were supportive of each other.

Mark Pammer is a member of Life Activities Club Boroondara (pictured above with one of his carers Anne Kennedy). Club members feel very privileged to have recently shared in celebrating his 102nd birthday in February.

Mark emigrated to Australia from Czechoslovakia, as an engineer to work on the Snowy Mountains Hydro project in the 1950’s and in retirement he settled in Camberwell.

Growing up:
As a child, electric and battery powered toys eg train sets, were a great interest to him. And, not surprisingly due to his career choice, mathematics was his favourite subject at school.

His biggest enjoyment in leisure time growing up was sport: football, skiing in the paddock next to his house, games with his brother and sister and national gym club called Sokol (which was a gym in every town across the Czech Republic that everyone was expected to attend).

The ice area for skating on the lake was prepared and managed by the city council - each student got a card from school that permitted them to go skating. There was a janitor employed by the council who prepared the surface. This was not done by a machine. During Christmas and summer holidays he would meet up with his cousins - summer to swim in the lake and winter to ice skate.

Life in Camberwell:
Mark met his Scottish wife while playing tennis at the International Club in Melbourne. True to his sporting upbringing, regular gym sessions were conducted in the backyard, without equipment other than a mat, and his children were reluctant participants!

There were plenty of day walks and picnics in the bush and sailing in a boat he bought, as well as beach activities.

Leisure time:
Each winter Mark took his family downhill skiing at Mt Buller for a week. Then in summer they stayed at a beach resort at Lorne for a week. Building a shed and a small holiday house also kept him busy.

He has always enjoyed a small amount of interacting with the Czech community - but not a lot. When asked what he puts his long and active life down to, Mark answered “It just happened! Lots of lying around and enjoying the sunshine on my body.”

Keeping active:
His love of physical activity and determination are mirrored in his continuing swimming, exercise classes and coming on all LACB trips away. Mark is still living independently, with carers 24 hours a day. He manages to get around Camberwell in his small electric chair and joins in Club activities, contributing to his engagement with his community and maximising his enjoyment of life.

Many thanks to Mark’s daughter Jane Pammer for her help in putting this story together.

Jack and Angela Sabato joined the Moonee Valley Life Activities Club as single members in June and Jan 2005. They met at a club function, and the relationship blossomed from there. On the 18th December 2008 they married and have been together since. Jack was president of the club from 2012 until 2013, and continues to be a major contributor to the club. Angela has been a coordinator of various activities including guest speakers, and morning melodies.

Jack and Angela are still very active members of  the club and regularly attend morning melodies, Myki trips, dine-outs, club nights and midweek R & R trips. In the clubs 21 year history, Jack and Angela are only the second couple to meet at the club, and there have been none since.

They are also the clubs cruising king and queen, having been on 42 cruises with two more booked.

LAC Surf Coast
We celebrated our 21st birthday at the Torquay Bowls Club on the 23rd March. President Annelies Gerritsen welcomed Alex Sy, Sue Van Gerrevink and Deb Fitrolakis from LACVI, Surf Coast Shire councilor Rose Hodge and 70 members who attended the event. A special guest, co-founder Laura Connor told us how the club came to be, which today boasts some 380 members.

Honorary life member Peter Sweeten, spoke about some of its history which enabled this table of long-standing members to reminisce with each other.

There were original meeting notes and newsletters dating back to 2004.  A powerpoint ran showing current and past activity groups. Many past Presidents and committee members were amongst the group. A fabulous night was had by all.

By Linda Crook, Vice President