Victorian Seniors Week 2019 – just weeks away! – Story by Marie Pietersz

Once again, seniors in Victoria are privileged to have a week of the calendar dedicated to celebrating them and their status as seniors.

The Victorian Seniors Festival returns this October from 6 to 13 to celebrate more than a million Victorians aged 60+ who make such a valuable contribution to society.

So join the celebrations, when there will be more than 2500 free or low-cost events being run across the state from active living and aqua exercise, gym, golf, walking, dancing, galleries and exhibitions, festivals and concerts, seminars and workshops, and much more, all dedicated to seniors.

There will also be eight days of free transport for Victorian Seniors Card holders from Sunday 6 to Sunday 13 October and includes all metropolitan and V-Line services to help seniors get across Melbourne and beyond.

Passionate about active ageing and inspiring seniors, this year as one of the faces of the festival, I share my story in the Seniors Festival Program, which you can download on https://www.seniorsonline.vic.gov.au/festivalsandawards/festival-print-program or read here.

Entertaining seniors through dance on Celebration Day during Seniors Week has been an annual event for my dance class featured on the cover of the calendar of events at https://www.seniorsonline.vic.gov.au/festivalsandawards, where you can search for activities by date, type of event or activity, and location.

“There’s something for everybody, so just get into it and enjoy life. Be active, it’s fun, and it slows down ageing.” 

Dance lovers can enquire at Love2Dance on 0412 296 827.

https://www.seniorsonline.vic.gov.au/festivalsandawards/faces-of-the-festival/meet-marie

‘Just because you’re older, doesn’t mean you stop learning.’ 

Marie’s love of education underpins all her community work. From teaching line dancing to seniors, to running English classes for migrants of all ages, Marie is committed to sharing knowledge and giving something back.

Marie grew up in Sri Lanka and was educated in the Cambridge English curriculum. Then, in 1972, she migrated with her husband to Australia. She reflects on what was a lengthy process.

‘It was the days of the White Australia policy. We had to prove our European ancestry, going back six generations.’

Arriving in Melbourne, Marie immediately ‘put the bags down, caught a train into the city and sat the public service exam.’ Her shorthand was a staggering one hundred and eighty words a minute and her typing one hundred and twenty. She was immediately offered a position as a court reporter.

‘My English was excellent. But it was the Australian expressions, or ‘speak’, I found difficult to understand. There were no migrants working with me at that time so there was no one I could ask. Marie spent over forty years in the public service.

As time passed she became a parent, then a grandparent, so life gradually expanded, beyond her public service role. Later she became an English tutor, and gained a Diploma in Journalism.

Recognising the vital importance of staying fit, Marie began dancing and was soon teaching dance to seniors.

‘I get tearful watching my senior students mastering new dances. I have one lady who is line dancing at ninety-two,’ Marie says, smiling.

She pioneered line dancing at the U3A and still teaches dancing at the Nunawading branch. Marie also tutors school children. She runs English classes for young migrants and advocates on their behalf. She has a part-time business in editing and is also training further in Latin and Ballroom medal dancing. And she is a board member of the Vermont South Learning Centre.

‘How we age and grow older is changing,’ Marie says.

‘Being active, both physically and mentally, is crucial. Age is just a number. It does not define who we are.’