There were smiles all round on Monday morning as senior citizens were chauffeured around town in vintage cars to begin Seniors Week celebrations with a bang. The Parkes Antique Motor Club provided seven drivers and cars to give seniors star treatment on a 35-minute route around town. “The ladies just loved it,” said Gill Kinsela of Neighborhood Central, “This was the first of a series of activities we had planned and around 200 seniors have attended the events.”
On Monday 36 attendees learnt the skills of pottery, crafting and embroidery while for those wishing to be tech savvy lessons in technology were available, showing participants the basics of how an iPad, smart phone and laptop work. Tuesday saw nine people from Parkes and Forbes partake in the Central West Elders Olympics, which cater for people with impairments. Keeping with the ‘Grow Young’ theme of this year’s festivities, eight short films under the title Young at Heart were screened at Neighborhood Central on Wednesday.
Film topics included a grandpa having to deal with a grandson’s vivid imagination and a farmer in rural Australia facing obsolescence as he shuns increased mechanisation in favour of a closer relationship with the land. Today saw the biggest turn out with 80 seniors competing in the Elders Friendship Games at the Parkes Bowling Club. The day included fun activities such as chair hockey, throw the chook and hitting a ball target in a parachute. “We’ve had a very busy time this year!” said Samantha Radburn, Coordinator of Seniors Week. Let’s hope seniors continue to keep us busy, keep us laughing and keep us inspired so ‘grow young’ this week and celebrate your pensioners!