Todd Muller: International Day for Older Persons

Todd Muller MP. Photo/John Borren

Most of us will remember how we saw our grandparents when we were young children. We may remember being spoiled rotten by them, or remember feeling grandma's wrath after having "pruned" her roses with a spade. But I find that as we get older we develop a fuller appreciation for our grandparents - the family they raised, the places they worked, the people's lives they changed.

1st October commemorated the 25th International Day of Older Persons this year.

As a community we are deeply indebted to our seniors. One aspect is that we owe them our lives and they have often shaped our upbringings and values.

But retirement doesn't mean checking out of society. On the contrary, our seniors are some of the most engaged and generous folk in our community. If you were to value it monetarily, our seniors contribute around $8.5 billion to this country each year in unpaid and voluntary work.

Our opshops, community organisations, sports clubs, churches and numerous other groups depend on our seniors for support.

The Government is also taking strides to ensure our seniors are well-supported. This includes ensuring that superannuation increases far ahead of inflation, that we have more elective surgeries performed quicker, and that crime remains at its lowest in 37 years so that we feel safe in our homes.

Whether we are seniors or 'seniors in the making', let's make sure we take the opportunity to remember and thank those who bring so much value and joy to our community.