Retirement is more than just another phase

Congratulations! You’re retired (or are close to it). It’s been a long time coming.

You’ve had some well-earned rest, potted around the house fixing things and maybe taken that bucket-list holiday. Now what?

In his TEDxSurrey talk on YouTube Dr Riley Moynes speaks of ‘the four phases of retirement’.

Phase 1 is the vacation period – the one most people view as their ideal lifestyle, with no set routine. Dr Moynes says that phase usually takes a year before the retiree becomes bored and misses routine.

By then, they have already progressed to Phase 2 where they can feel loss and become ‘lost’. Not only have they discarded routine, but they also may have lost their identity, many relationships, a sense of purpose and power that they enjoyed as a working, productive member of their community. Fear, anxiety and depression can set in.

Acknowledging that there must be more to this retirement life ushers in Phase 3: a time of trial and error, success and failure, disappointment and joy but where retirees feel they are contributing to the world again in a meaningful sense.

Dr Moynes says it’s important to keep trying new things to find the best fit, otherwise retirees can slip back into Phase 2.

Finding the activities that are meaningful and give a sense of accomplishment – often in service  to others – is when we have entered Phase 4.

“Not everyone breaks through to Phase 4, but those who do are some of the happiest people I have ever met,” he tells his audience in the video.

So, it’s your turn. What have you always wanted to try but never had the time to do anything about? What skills, talents and interests did you have as a young adult but lost touch with? What are you good at, and is it time to take that to the next level?

Our neighbourhoods are screaming out for volunteers – in schools, sports (golf, lawn bowls, football codes, chess and bridge), political parties, community service clubs, charities and organisations helping migrants, for example. A plethora of special-interest groups – from arts and crafts, choirs/amateur theatre to walking groups, gardening and environmental, are always looking to boost their ranks.

Maybe you want to continue your life-long learning journey with university, TAFE, U3A or writing courses and cooking classes. Perhaps you just crave connection and getting to know the neighbours better by organising regular Friday night drinks, progressive dinners or picnics (a letterbox drop does wonders).

As Dr Moynes says, it’s time to “squeeze all the juice out of retirement”. And here are some inspiring locals who may spur you into action.

Funky Old Ducks

Two friends have retirement happiness all sewn up as they pursue their favourite hobby, in turn producing one-off upcycled designs and creating joy for strangers.

Sandra Mackenzie, 62, and Julie Crawley, 65, are savvy businesswomen, but they aren’t out to make a fortune from their Funky Old Ducks clothing and accessories label.

They’re content that the fun and creative initiative pays for itself, gives them an annual festive lunch and also indulges another of their much-loved pastimes –  op shopping.

Doilies, lace and buttons, denim jeans and patterned sheets all receive a new lease of life in the form of overalls (their best sellers), pinafores, jackets, flannelette shirts, dropped-crotch ‘hippie’ pants and shoulder bags.

The pair set up a stall once a month at Witta Markets in the Sunshine Coast hinterland and sometimes add another market location, depending on stock. They also have Funky Old Ducks Instagram and Facebook pages where they post photos of their latest creations before each market.

“It’s really creative and we get a lot of enjoyment out of people actually buying something that we’ve created,” Sandra says.

Julie adds that their customers are “liking the concept of upcycling and doing one-of-a-kind things – and they get it at a reasonable price”.

“Everything is from op shops,” she says.

“It could be fabric that someone’s bought (and on-selling), but more often than not, it’s a tablecloth or a sheet or doona cover or curtain or tea towel.”

“I’ll find something at an op shop and go ‘Oooh, what will I do with this?’

“People … will like a pair of overalls and I’ll say, ‘Well, that was a tablecloth’.

“I’ve just finished a jacket that has a beach scene on the back of it, made from scraps. We stick to natural fibres – cottons, linens and viscose – though sometimes we might have a blend.

“Going to the markets is a really lovely day out, but it is hard work because there is a lot of packing up and unpacking.”

The women didn’t set out to make Funky Old Ducks a retirement plan. It evolved organically from their earlier foray into beach art.

But for Sandra, the designing, patterning, sewing and embellishing have become a type of therapy.

A cervical cancer survivor, the  wife and mother-of-two had always been active. But delayed effects of her cancer treatment started to take their toll two decades on, affecting her legs and feet especially.

“This came at a good time in my life where my health changed,” she says.

“I couldn’t do what I was doing: the physical stuff. I was doing aged care work and then cycling, stand-up paddleboarding, walking, yoga. I had to stop all that.

“This [sewing] could keep me occupied and keep my mind active.”

The casual clothing line’s one-off pieces, which throwback to the nostalgic ‘flower power’ era of the ’60s and ’70s, have developed a legion of followers wanting something groovy for music festivals, comfortable for travelling and eye-catching for lunch or shopping excursions.

And new fans have been known to literally take a vest off Sandra’s back on market day.

As for the future, Julie says they will “just keep going” while they can.

But most importantly, as Sandra adds, “as long as we enjoy it”.

Helen Weir

Retirement is just another stage in Helen Weir’s well-lived life. And she plans to make the most of it.

The Brisbane grandmother looks forward to travelling overseas each year and has just returned from a month-long European holiday with her husband following the birth of her fourth grandchild.

Like many women her age, Helen has always been involved in helping to raise and look after her grandchildren. And after semi-retiring two years ago when she turned 60, Helen has willingly taken on babysitting duties for her three-year-old grandson to help out their daughter.

With so many family roles, Helen knows ‘me’ time is important.

“I love having my own interests and also exercise with pilates, yoga and tennis every week to keep me young,” she says.

“I have also been teaching craft, scrapbooking, card making for over 25 years. Doing all these things keeps your mind young, too. If you don’t use it, you lose it!”

Her great passion, however, lies in performing – something she thrives on, and skills that have put her front and centre of bands, choirs and plays.

Her next foray onto the stage will be for The Hills Players’ latest comedy, Miss Magnolia Senior Citizens Beauty Pageant (a sequel to last year’s 4 Old Broads) at St Matthew’s Church Hall, Mitchelton, on November 1, 2, 8 and 9.

This year marks her 10th anniversary with the amateur theatre group.

“I had only been in school musical productions before, but as I am a trained singer, I was used to performing in front of an audience,” Helen says.

“I have been in a choir called Treble M for close to 30 years and I am one of their main soloists.

“We perform for retirement villages and nursing homes and raise money for St Vincent de Paul.”

The challenge of taking on the varied roles and characters and learning her lines keeps things interesting for Helen.

“We always have fun as a group, learning and performing our productions,” she says.

“I also do a lot of the artwork needed for our sets. We all take on lots of roles in getting everything ready for our plays.

“We meet on the first Monday of every month at 7pm as our general meeting. For performances, we meet twice a week on a Monday and Wednesday.

“We usually rehearse for three to four months before a performance. If [Miss Magnolia Senior Citizens Beauty Pageant] is anywhere near as fun and funny as the original, we are going to have a blast.”

Helen says if anyone is interested in getting involved with the theatre, the group is always on the lookout for new members for on stage (especially males) and help in other areas of the theatre.

Visit thehillsplayers.com.