Seniors ready to kick up their heels during annual festival

On Friday, March 3, local seniors and high school students will go head-to-head in an intergenerational Great Age Debate.

The event will kick off a month of activities to celebrate the 2017 NSW Seniors Festival.

The Great Age Debate will be held at Campbelltown Catholic Club.

And while the debate will be light hearted, it will also cover serious subjects relating to older people.

It will also include interactive activities and link participants with local services.

The NSW Seniors Festival is the largest celebration for people aged over 60 in the southern hemisphere.

It is also aimed at people aged 50 and older who have a lifelong disability, or are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.

This year’s theme of “inclusive communities’’ aims to create opportunities for seniors to mix and socialise with people from diverse backgrounds, stay connected and contribute to their communities, and to live active and healthy lives.

Mayor of Campbelltown, Cr George Brticevic, said council, with the support of local businesses and service providers, had compiled a calendar of seniors festival events in Campbelltown, and encouraged local seniors to source a copy online or from council’s civic centre, branch libraries or leisure centres.

“There will be a wealth of events, activities and information sessions being held locally during the festival, highlighting the value our community places on the contribution of older residents, and its commitment to ensuring ours is a truly inclusive community,” he said.

A range of free activities, including guided tours, information sessions and concerts, will be held across Campbelltown.

They will include:

• Free Arts and Memory tours at Campbelltown Arts Centre throughout March, for people with memory loss and their family and carers. Details: 4645 4632.

• A free seniors morning tea and guided tour of historic Glenalvon House, 8 Lithgow Street, Campbelltown on Monday, March 6 from 10am to 12.30pm. Details: 4625 1822.

• Macarthur Diversity Services will present Young at Heart, an opportunity to learn about exercising your brain and body, and nutrition, on Monday, March 6 from 10.30am to 1.30pm.  Bookings are essential for the free event, and a morning tea and a healthy lunch will be provided. Details: 4627 1188.

• Free tours of The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, and the PlantBank, on Tuesday, March 7 from 9am to 2pm. Garden tours will include some travel by bus and/or car. PlantBank tours are by foot. Bookings are essential on 4634 7935.

• HJ Daley Library, in partnership with Macarthur Legal Centre, will provide a free legal information session for seniors focusing on wills, financial management and guardianship on Thursday, March 9 from 2pm to 4pm. Details: 4645 4444.

• The popular Campbelltown RSL Club Seniors Concert returns on Thursday, March 9 from midday to 2pm. This event includes a delicious two course lunch and great entertainment for only $4. Tickets can be purchased from Campbelltown RSL Club. Details: 4625 1408.

• Discover the Dharawal National Park on a tour designed for seniors who prefer light exercise, or people in wheelchairs or mobility scooters, on Saturday, March 11 from 9am to 10.30am. Cost is $10 per person and bookings are essential on 4645 4921.

• Wests Leagues Club and Campbelltown City Council will present a concert for seniors with dementia and their carers at Wests Leagues Club in Leumeah on Wednesday, March 15 from 11am to 1pm. Tickets are $4 and bookings are essential on 4645 4903.

• The Beatnix – The Beatles Tribute Show, will capture the excitement and nostalgia of the Fab Four, at Campbelltown RSL Club on Saturday, March 25 from 8pm to 10.30pm. Tickets are available from the club and cost $15 for members or $18 for visitors. Details: 4625 1408.

For the full program of 2017 Seniors Festival events in Campbelltown, including booking details, contact Council on 4645 4903 or visit the website link here.