Wynnum 60 & Better is a long-established not-for-profit seniors association in the Wynnum and Manly area dedicated to helping people over 60 stay active, healthy and socially connected.
The organisation, run by a volunteer committee with support from a program manager, offers a wide range of subsidised exercise classes like yoga and pool fitness, social activities such as movie mornings and bus outings, and opportunities to build friendships and remain engaged in the community.
Membership includes a monthly newsletter and access to affordable activities designed to promote wellbeing as we age
Stories from the Volunteers
Margaret V
Our poster girl for healthy, active living.
Almost 90 years young, Margaret is a bright-eyed bundle of energy, always on the go. After years as a representative tennis player, she still plays lawn bowls, keeps flexible with chair dance, and has looked after her house and large steep garden unassisted since her husband died years ago. “I like to be independent. I’m a bit of a loner and a workaholic and have no intention of going into a retirement home.”
A familiarly colourful figure at our social outings, she still drives and thinks nothing of parking on the esplanade and walking up the hill into Wynnum central.
Her recipe for living: “I don’t smoke and don’t drink, eat healthily, lots of fruit and vegies, and never go without breakfast. I love cooking and have always exercised. I’ve been 47 kilos all my life, never changed. I can still get into my wedding dress.” When her hands don’t work too well she manages tasks by improvising.
Having seen the world, she continues to travel regularly, with plans to celebrate her 90th birthday in a few months by taking 11 family members on a Pacific cruise.
Brian
Brian Plunkett has been around boats most of his life. He is at ease on the water and continues to share that pleasure in his eighties as a sailing volunteer.
Growing up in England, he always had a hankering for ships, spending the long nights reading and learning. The only one of his farming family to go to sea, he joined the Merchant Navy as a 16-year-old deck rating and set off to explore the world.
After six years at sea, Brian emigrated to Australia and Brisbane. He took a job on the waterfront, got married, and spent his spare time in sail and power boats of his own.
That early experience in seamanship continued to evolve. After moving to the bayside, Brian heard the Coast Guard was looking for volunteers and lent his skills to helping keep other boaties safe for the next 35 years.
He gravitated to the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron’s WAGS (Wednesday Afternoon Go Sailing) races and is still going strong in a critical support role. Brian is one of four sailors who crew the big monohull powerboat Vic Frizzell on race control – they mark the course, man the start and finish line, and collate race times to establish the fastest yachts of the day.
For Brian, being out on the water is as natural as breathing. “It’s relaxed, at home, comfortable. Paul, Nelly [Bolton], Don [Murray], we all speak the same language.”
Margaret W
Where there’s a will there’s a way to wildlife adventures.
There is nothing crazy about cat lover Margaret Wright – she just believes in having the willpower to follow your bliss at any age.
After a lifetime around pets, it wasn’t a huge transition to close encounters with big cats when she decided to spread her wings in her early 70s and give wildlife volunteering at Ukutula Lodge and Game Reserve a go.
“I didn’t know much about South Africa, and only intended to go once but I was immediately hooked. When they took me down to the lion cubs to see if I was frightened to be near them, I fell in love. Really, they’re just like ordinary house cats in the way they behave and interact, just bigger!” she said.
“I loved it so much, when it was time to leave I felt as if I was leaving home!”
The intrepid Wynnum 60 and Better member has returned time and again to the 260-hectare conservation park about an hour’s drive from Johannesburg, that is home to numerous wild animal species including lions, cheetahs, lynx, giraffes, hyenas, antelopes, zebra, wildebeest as well as more than 130 different bird species.
One of a group of international volunteer regulars who have become part of the fabric of the place, Margaret has assisted scientists, fed and cared for cat and hyena cubs, made animal observation walks and maintenance runs around the reserve, as well as other conservation educational tasks. You can do as much or as little as you like but her philosophy is to experience everything.
She takes great pride in having watched her friends Willi and Gillian Jacobs nurture the reserve from a cluster of basic huts into a park world-recognised for the care and breeding quality of their animals. Ukutula big cats are prized by other parks and zoos around the globe, including two lion cubs bought by Taronga Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo in NSW.
Recently returned from her first three-week stint of volunteering since covid, the 84-year-old was apprehensive as to what she might find. “It’s a family business and I am delighted to say it was better than ever, they are doing a fantastic job.”
The game reserve now comprises a conservation research and education centre, conference facilities, restaurant, and resort accommodation for tourists, researchers and wildlife volunteers – seniors obviously welcome.
Ukutula means ‘place of quiet’, “except when the lions roar”. There Margaret bonds closely with many animals, in her calm, unruffled way, as photographs of her snuggled up to cheetahs, having her face licked by a raspy tongue without flinching, show. As a result, she is nicknamed ‘The Animal Whisperer’.
In her younger days, Margaret travelled the world hairdressing on cruise ships and in salons from England, Rabaul and Fiji to Sydney, Charleville and Brisbane, and
remains a keen sailor. “I’m not sure there are many women still sailing at 84, but I love it, especially when it’s really windy.”
“I’m so glad I was born when I was – I still remember the war when I was little in Manchester, and shops near ours being bombed. I have been lucky in my life, but these things make you stronger, more adaptable.”
Home in Lota, surrounded by photos of her closely interacting with lions, cheetahs, elephants, she hopes to be back in Africa volunteering again next year – and would be happy if anyone wishes to travel with her. Meanwhile, Margaret is playing cat auntie for a friend and thinking of doing more of it for locals moving house, renovating or recovering from illness.
It just goes to show that bayside seniors like Margaret are not to be underestimated; they are still making their mark in the world and enjoy sharing their experiences at 60 and Better activities and forums and around the wider community.
Want to Connect with Wynnum 60 and Better?
Office Address:
Wynnum Community Centre
Room 17, 1st Floor,
105 Florence Street,
Wynnum QLD 4178
Office hours: Monday – Thursday 9am – 2pm.
Postal Address:
PO Box 660,
Wynnum QLD 4178
Phone: (07) 3348 6306
Email: admin@wynnum60andbetter.org.au