Meet the Aussie seniors defying age with their thrilling bucket list club adventures!
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For years, it's been drilled into people’s minds that once you get to a certain age, you should hang up your adventurous boots and tuck yourself away from any sort of thrilling activities. But here at the Seniors Discount Club, we're firm believers in the mantra that age is merely a number.
And it seems that a group of lively and adventurous Aussie seniors agree wholeheartedly.
A fun-loving group of seniors, all in their 90s and hailing from the New South Wales South Coast, have come together to create their very own bucket list club.
Their first mission, you ask? Well, it was none other than taking to the skies for an adrenaline-pumping helicopter ride! This story even landed the unlikely group a feature on A Current Affair!
According to Anglicare Eileen Armstrong House's lifestyle manager, Ruth Hartill-Law, the whole idea stemmed from a rather casual conversation.
‘A couple of weeks ago, we drove past the airport, and I said, “Who’d like to go up in a biplane?” (It was) a simple throwaway line and the bucket list group was formed,’ she proclaimed.
‘So now our residents at the Eileen Armstrong House have a bucket list of the activities they’d like to do,’ Ms Hartill-Law added.
In just two short weeks, the adventurous group went from mere chatter to ticking that helicopter ride off their list, followed by a delightful celebratory meal of succulent lamb cutlets and sinfully delicious chocolate Bavarian cake. Now that’s what we call spoiling yourselves after a thrilling experience!
But a helicopter ride was just the beginning for this fearless group.
They've already planned out the other exciting adventures that top their bucket list, which include deep-sea fishing, ballroom dancing, visiting a train museum, scuba diving, and of course, the pièce de résistance that sparked the creation of the bucket list club in the first place, a biplane ride.
‘All you need is a bit of willingness and imagination for people to enjoy things like this,’ Ms Hartill-Law told reporters.
Residential Manager Antje Badger explained: ‘We were really keen to hear from residents and families about what activities they wanted to do, particularly coming out of COVID-19. So we surveyed them and started with a bus trip.’
‘We borrowed the bus from St Luke’s at Dapto, and it’s gone from there, really. The enthusiasm has been quite remarkable,’ the manager continued.
Ms Badger added that the group had come up with a ‘number of things’ to include in their list, such as sailing or going to the beach.
‘There’s one lady who’s keen to dip her toes in the water after many, many years of missing that,’ Ms Badger continued.
Staff at the aged care centre will be given Go-Pros (or handheld video recording devices) to record each occasion. This means the residents can relive the good times whenever they like.
‘We’ve got one gentleman that’s going up, and he has advanced dementia. But for 30 minutes, he is going to have the best time of his life,’ Ms Hartill-Law explained.
Ms Hartill-Law also said this project had motivated her to try and encourage other residential aged care homes across the country to establish their own Bucket List Club.
‘Why not? Why shouldn’t we listen to these wonderful people and let them live every day?’ She told reporters.
But what is a bucket list?
This is a list of activities or experiences that an individual hopes to accomplish during their lifetime or before they ‘kick the bucket’.
It’s an exciting way for people to get involved in activities and create unique, life-affirming experiences which can bring about many positive benefits. For the bucket list club members, their shared experiences also bring an important social aspect into their lives.
Through group collaboration and companionship, it provides them with the opportunity to make friends or socialise with other people. Ultimately, bucket list clubs remind us to live life to the fullest - something that we can all benefit from, no matter our age!
These inspiring Aussie seniors prove that it's never too late to experience new things and create lasting memories. They've undoubtedly shown us that with a bit of determination, a healthy dose of adventurous spirit, and the support of good friends, age-defying bucket list adventures are well within reach.
But do you have a bucket list of your own? If you don’t have one yet, what kind of activities would you like to include in your list? Share your ideas and experiences in the comments below!
You might like to watch a fantastic video of their helicopter ride below:
And it seems that a group of lively and adventurous Aussie seniors agree wholeheartedly.
A fun-loving group of seniors, all in their 90s and hailing from the New South Wales South Coast, have come together to create their very own bucket list club.
Their first mission, you ask? Well, it was none other than taking to the skies for an adrenaline-pumping helicopter ride! This story even landed the unlikely group a feature on A Current Affair!
The bucket list club only has one rule: You have to be over 90 to join. Credit: Monstera/Pexels
According to Anglicare Eileen Armstrong House's lifestyle manager, Ruth Hartill-Law, the whole idea stemmed from a rather casual conversation.
‘A couple of weeks ago, we drove past the airport, and I said, “Who’d like to go up in a biplane?” (It was) a simple throwaway line and the bucket list group was formed,’ she proclaimed.
‘So now our residents at the Eileen Armstrong House have a bucket list of the activities they’d like to do,’ Ms Hartill-Law added.
In just two short weeks, the adventurous group went from mere chatter to ticking that helicopter ride off their list, followed by a delightful celebratory meal of succulent lamb cutlets and sinfully delicious chocolate Bavarian cake. Now that’s what we call spoiling yourselves after a thrilling experience!
The group has been going on thrilling adventures after forming their club. Credit: Illawarra Mercury/DailyMotion
But a helicopter ride was just the beginning for this fearless group.
They've already planned out the other exciting adventures that top their bucket list, which include deep-sea fishing, ballroom dancing, visiting a train museum, scuba diving, and of course, the pièce de résistance that sparked the creation of the bucket list club in the first place, a biplane ride.
‘All you need is a bit of willingness and imagination for people to enjoy things like this,’ Ms Hartill-Law told reporters.
Residential Manager Antje Badger explained: ‘We were really keen to hear from residents and families about what activities they wanted to do, particularly coming out of COVID-19. So we surveyed them and started with a bus trip.’
‘We borrowed the bus from St Luke’s at Dapto, and it’s gone from there, really. The enthusiasm has been quite remarkable,’ the manager continued.
Ms Badger added that the group had come up with a ‘number of things’ to include in their list, such as sailing or going to the beach.
‘There’s one lady who’s keen to dip her toes in the water after many, many years of missing that,’ Ms Badger continued.
Staff at the aged care centre will be given Go-Pros (or handheld video recording devices) to record each occasion. This means the residents can relive the good times whenever they like.
‘We’ve got one gentleman that’s going up, and he has advanced dementia. But for 30 minutes, he is going to have the best time of his life,’ Ms Hartill-Law explained.
Ms Hartill-Law also said this project had motivated her to try and encourage other residential aged care homes across the country to establish their own Bucket List Club.
‘Why not? Why shouldn’t we listen to these wonderful people and let them live every day?’ She told reporters.
But what is a bucket list?
This is a list of activities or experiences that an individual hopes to accomplish during their lifetime or before they ‘kick the bucket’.
It’s an exciting way for people to get involved in activities and create unique, life-affirming experiences which can bring about many positive benefits. For the bucket list club members, their shared experiences also bring an important social aspect into their lives.
Through group collaboration and companionship, it provides them with the opportunity to make friends or socialise with other people. Ultimately, bucket list clubs remind us to live life to the fullest - something that we can all benefit from, no matter our age!
But do you have a bucket list of your own? If you don’t have one yet, what kind of activities would you like to include in your list? Share your ideas and experiences in the comments below!
You might like to watch a fantastic video of their helicopter ride below:
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