Activities in retirement

Rog

Study Biblical Hebrew to keep the mind engaged!

Al

Retirement involves a bit of give and take. To have time to give back to the community as thanks for being allowed to live a life well lived is a privilege. Volunteering to support organisations such as Meals on Wheels through meal delivery and outings provides a two-way benefit through service and social interaction. Supporting family in whatever manner is required is also a privilege.
Travel, golf, walking etc are all part of the taking that time allows at this stage of life.
We also do OK at trivia with a wide range of acquired knowledge (with the exception of post 2000 music - hopeless!)

Bigbear

I guess all old codgers are out there grey nomading.
I took up calligraphy and photography for a post retirement creative outlet. I play guitar and enjoy logic and jigsaw puzzles. I belong to archery club, full bore target club and two bushwalking clubs and aim to walk a minimum of 30km/week, including as much hilly terrain as possible. Plenty of leisure roadtrips enjoying bakeries along the way, also cooking and experimenting with new cuisines and expanding my horizons. Geocaching and magnet fishing are my latest interest.
We eat out at restaurants occasionally with friends, to keep in touch. Life is good.
''When the world wearies,
And the world does not satisfy
There is always the garden''

It would be good to see an expanded discussion on the financial side of retirement, the how,when,why of income source after working income stops.

KennethS

I am 84 in 3 days, retired at 69.
We did a fair amount of touring and some International travel in our first 8 years of retirement , but haven't traveled anywhere since Covid, but are planning a 4-5 week break in New Zealand next year.
We spend an inordinate amount of time minding our grand children plus also minding our 2 daughters dogs, but the up side is it helps keep one young.
In sports, I would recommend hiking, fishing, sailing and golf as lifetime sports, there are not many sporting activities that fall into a lifetime category but these genuine do, I engaged in all 3 as a teenager and still do now, I stopped playing senior Rugby in my mid 20s due to injuries although refereed and coached till nearly 60
I can give advice to people planning a sea change or rural change when they retire - beware it isn't that easy, one builds social networks through work, club associates and one's children, and moving away from established networks and establishing new social networks in later life can be a major challenge, leaving one resident in a new community but still more or less a bit of an outsider.

Kenneth E. Smith

Anne3255

with me becoming my husbands carers after about 5 years my husband and I enjoy going out for lunch,keeping our front garden neat and tidy by weeding,pruning the roses and adding punnets of flowers with colour.Also besides having time to ourselves we also help our adult children by looking after their little ones which we love

s

I think you have to remain active in the body and mind by playing sport.
They have now 2 sports for people over 50.
1.Pickleball like tennis but everything is smaller.
2. Walking soccer as the name implies you walk instead of running.
Anyone tried these sports?

Tuzy

My opinion is that older Aussies are still into the active activities. At 78 I do line dancing two morning a week, volunteer at our local hospital, volunteer at the local church garden on a Saturday morning and sing in a choir one night a week. I belong to other community organisations that have outings to interesting places and get together with a group of other residents in the village where I live to play Bingo and snooker and have Friday afternoon happy hour. A full and productive life lived mainly on the go.

kerynm

Golf isn't an interest for me. My partner used to be very athletic but now has dementia so I encourage his beach walks. I enjoyed this till my hip gave out. I enjoy the garden and so does he.

tsre0001

Retired a couple of years ago and just began volunteering (one day/week) which has given me a whole new lease on life. Gardening is still something I enjoy but have not been doing much lately. My 95 year old auntie plays 18 holes of golf twice a week so I can certainly recommend this activity.... it is on my "to do" list!!!

jennypf

Just retired recently. This is a great question and I wish I had thought more about it before retiring. I’m really concentrating on health and well being. Walking - my partner started up a 50 years plus midweek hiking group. Hobbies and activity are important but I’m learning that remaining socially connected is really important once you stop working. I’m an avid gardener but that is solitary. Travel takes up many months of the year which is good for social connections.

jennypf

Just retired recently. This is a great question and I wish I had thought more about it before retiring. I’m really concentrating on health and well being. Walking - my partner started up a 50 years plus midweek hiking group. Hobbies and activity are important but I’m learning that remaining socially connected is really important once you stop working. I’m an avid gardener but that is solitary. Travel takes up many months of the year which is good for social connections.

marktime

volunteering as a actual ST Vincent De Paul Member ( not the retail shop part ) has been a big part of my past 11 years out of the workforce, i can use my small bit of technological knowledge to do data input in the welfare area of operations.

julienne

Golf for my husband, active group activities for me like line dancing and tennis, short camping trips away as well as time for all my art and craft activities.

julienne

Golf for my husband, active group activities for me like line dancing and tennis, short camping trips away as well as time for all my art and craft activities.

berylr

Caravanning, We have done two trips around Australia and many other shorter trips and meet many retirees on the way. Wonderful way to spend retirement seeing our beautiful country\

chickenman

golf is a great activity for retirees if they can get to play. myself i still prefer gardening and diy projects, but as long as one keeps up an interest in something, that is the main concern. each to their own .

Skylark

I'm retiring in the next year, though I may do a day a week.
Hobbies? Will be the same. My classic car, model building. I might do some volunteer work, and we'll be travelling more.

the rack

I retired just before COVID hit and that changed our plans as it did for everyone. I’ve now become accustomed to walking my dog twice daily and catching up with my retired friends. We travel once per year to where ever we can afford, see move live shows, and do lots of arts, crafts and volunteering. There are people I know who play golf, but they’re not in my circles. Yes, it’s busier than work some days.

godsbaby

I'm retired. I don't do much difference to my activities, except I think I'm busier than ever.

Keerah1

My BODY is ready to retire. I’m 57 years old. But my finances aren’t. Speaking to many people of retirement age. Some still like golf, fishing, getting together for coffees, art galleries, craft days, walks,

Hes

I love repairing things around the home and tinkering in the garden. I feel that technology has segregated the elderly more with less opportunities for human involvement as people tend use their devices more than having human contact.I feel this leads to more socially isolated elderly people after retirement . This is especially for those elderly who are not computer savvy with less opportunities to maintain contact in the ways they have been used to, throughout their earlier life. The hobbies have not changed. Its the human interaction that has!

intelligent

In the initial stage of my retirement I was missing the daily routine of going to work/teach. I felt a loss of meaning and purpose in my life.
To cope with this my husband and I decided to do more Cruises than we did before, joined more group tours till we have been to all Continents.
When b ck home in between journeys, both of usworked on our home and garden, changed our landscaping many times, later when Covid-19
set foot we helped to feed the poorest of the poor in my home country. After Covis I did voluntary in our Neighbothood Community, As always
I am continuing with my Catholic Church commitments and activities.

Loz

Volunteering, socializing, travelling, gardening, reading and jigsaw puzzles. Health is an issue, so walking and exercising are a must in my opinion. Counting down the days and will retire as soon as I am able.

ivory

I tried golf but did not like it much. Gardening is a great past time especially growing your own food. Cafes are great for socialising. Cost of living limits how much and what you can afford to do.

Rossissmellingtheroses

I am still working part-time with my new business owners. That enables me to play golf a few times each week & a whole day volunteering at my steam train hobby, plus an hour or two each day responding such as this.

cowboy71

I want to retire as soon as possible. Do not want to be someone retiring 'later and later' that is for sure. Too often I've seen friends and family work their whole lives towards retirement, then pass away before they can enjoy it.

So retiring before 60 is my goal, so I'm young enough and fit enough to get out and see (much) more of the world by travelling.

NOBODY GENIUS

I want to retire as soon as possible. Do not want to be someone retiring 'later and later' that is for sure. Too often I've seen friends and family work their whole lives towards retirement, then...

Excellent outlook on life. I've seen so many people I have known who couldn't do anything with their life because they retired too late.

Anonymous

I prefer speaking time outdoors, connecting with nature, meditation, yoga, exercise, being creative doing writing and being involved in animal rights causes.

Timbo

I would recommend getting involved with volunteering for charitable and community organisations. It enables you to keep using your valuable skills and gives you a sense of purpose as well as making a useful contribution to society which keeps you from becoming self-focussed. It is a very important aspect of Australian culture.
There is a lot to be said for gardening as well. I spend quite a bit of time with that as it is creative and rewarding but a mix of volunteering and personal pursuits in retirement is probably the best.

Bigbear

Re retirement activities, personally for myself it is important to keep actively engaged with my family which sustains my ebullience.
Some people may have 'lived to work' and may not have family or friends or hobbies or interests.
Hopefully these retirees would find a way to enjoy their retirement in their own way, we are all individuals and I’m sure there are those who don’t need hobbies, friends nor interests in order to be content in their life.
We’re all different and there is no 'one size fits all' lifestyle and certainly no requirement to conform.

PGS

I'm in the 'Planning for Retirement' stage. Activites for then I haven't considered. Given the constantly rising costs, I can't see there being many.

EileenW1

Retirement? I am now 80 and despite health problems I lead a full life because I involve myself in the community and in pursuing my own interests and hobbies. I still teach as my casting agency won't let me retire from running acting workshops each month as they are always filled with a waiting list and most of my students go on to careers in film and television. It is a handy little income to supplement my pension and keeps my mind alive. I also have a little charity in Bali to help educate some of the poorer village children and after Covid it became even more important to the youngsters, so I fundraise for that. I am a member of Rotary which is very inspirational as well as the social involvement and I love making a difference to my community. I also write for a free local magazine and am active in koala rescue and rehabilitation. I visit schools and clubs giving talks and also knit cute koalas with all proceeds going to our koala organisation. I am not as active in local theatre as I once was but still help out on Front of House and publicity. I appear in the occasional TV commercial myself but not as often these days. There is no excuse for retirees to say they are bored or depressed. I can no longer travel or do cruises as I did when I first retired as I now also care for my husband but that doesn't stop me volunteering in my community, having lots of friends and fun.

logilnk2

More gardening

Libbazz

The annual cost of golf membership with some of these clubs is outrageous. Unless you have a very healthy pension coming in regularly, you won't be able to afford the membership. Many people are taking up lawn bowls as it has a cheaper membership but still has that competitiveness element to the game.
Gardening is by far the best way to keep busy during retirement. It keeps you reasonably fit and healthy, plus you can grow your own fruits and vegetables to lower the strain on the purse strings. Any excess produce can be given to your family or friends to help them out.
I'm not very technologically savvy but do like to participate in word games regularly with friends on the iPad at night.