Tag: Retirement

An entertaining interlude

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A country girl from South Australia, Norma Murdock moved to Melbourne to follow her dream of becoming a singing sensation. When she tired of the spotlight she returned to SA, but found herself following her heart to the big city once more. Now she’s Norma Spalding and a member of the Probus Club of Langwarrin. 

Norma was a very protected 19-year-old country girl, who in 1944 was happily working in the Customs Department Office in Port Pirie, South Australia.

Norma’s mother was a pianist. Friends would often gather around the piano to hear Norma’s heavenly voice and, despite her shyness, Norma eventually came out of her shell and, with encouragement from her friends, would often sing at the local dances.

The war was on.

It was important to keep spirits up so a Concert Party was formed to raise money and entertain the locals and more importantly the Air Force boys stationed in Pirie.

Norma was a soloist, singing bluesy numbers and along with other artists delighted the packed Town Hall audiences night after night.

Eventually, Norma was noticed by a producer, who encouraged her to audition for J. C. Williamson’s, hoping that she would be good enough to join the Musical Comedy chorus in Melbourne.

After a successful first audition in Adelaide, Norma’s parents gave her permission to travel
to Melbourne where accommodation in a private boarding house in Burnley was arranged. “Moving to Melbourne was scary,” Norma says. “But because the accommodation was pre-arranged and the landlady was an aunt of a friend, I always felt welcomed.”

After another audition at the theatre in Melbourne, Norma was in.

She went immediately into rehearsals for the chorus of Rio Rita with Gladys Moncrieff, John McCallum and other principals.

Norma soon found that her newfound employment was exhausting. She worked six nights a week plus two matinees.

Homesickness didn’t help but Norma loved every moment of every show in which she performed, including Rio Rita, The Merry Widow, Maid of the Mountains, Victoria and her Hussar and Rose Marie.

Performing the totem dance from Rose Marie in the heat of summer, right over the footlights and with several encores, took its toll.

Following the end of the war when peace was declared, artists were asked to perform extra matinees. “My weight was down to barely over a stone and I was utterly exhausted,” Norma explains. “It eventually forced my retirement.”

By Norma’s 21st birthday, she was home and back into office work.

Of course, she missed the wonderful company of the girls she had befriended but realised that there was one person she missed more than anyone else.

“I met Harold on his return from New Guinea where he’d been fighting,” says Norma. “He was my landlady’s son.”

Harold and Norma kept in contact upon her return to South Australia. But before long, Norma was back in Melbourne and back with Harold.

In 1947 Norma Murdock became Norma Spalding.

After spending a number of years in Colac, the couple settled back in Melbourne.

As their golfing days came to an end a few years ago, a friend recommended Probus to fill the void. Harold and Norma missed the social interactivity that golf had always provided. So, five years ago, they joined the Probus Club of Langwarrin.

Harold and Norma are now in their 66th year of married bliss.

Although Norma didn’t sing professionally again, if you’re lucky, you may just catch a tune.

An entertaining interlude is available for download.

Recording the grand stories

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An oral history project initiated by Rotary Past District Governor Patrick Roberts has spread far and wide, with 60 Rotarians now recording important stories for posterity. By Jessica Goulburn

Influenced by a strong desire to hear the voices of his ancestors, past district governor, Patrick Roberts initiated Grand Stories, a project to record oral histories and memories of community leaders
and relatives.

Of specific interest to Patrick was hearing of the challenges and successes of his grandparents or great- grandparents and putting voices to the pictures he had seen, in order to learn more about his family history.

Grand Stories has since expanded to include Rotary district governors, charter members of Rotary clubs and other people who have interesting and unique stories to tell. Project leaders now identify people in the community who have lived through challenging times, significant events or funny experiences, and record their stories.

Sue Hayward is the chairman of the Grand Stories committee. She has been involved from the start, learning oral recording techniques in order to pass this education on to fellow Rotarians.

“It’s a privilege to record a person’s story in their own words, for posterity,” she says. This allows their stories and their memories to stand the test of time.

The Grand Stories committee, through Rotary District 9570, ran workshops in 2010 and 2011 with Rotarians and other interested people.

Approximately 60 Rotarians have been trained to use the techniques identified when recording and transcribing the oral history of key community people, relatives and friends.

The recordings are given to the subject to be kept as part of their family history for future generations.

The committee is now looking at ways to expand the project’s reach.

“We would like to see those stories put onto CDs and then placed in local libraries where they could be accessed by the general community,” says Sue. “And we are hoping that, down the track, we might possibly be able to place these archives onto the Rotary International site for worldwide access.”

Plenty of people have unique and extraordinary stories to tell. The aim of Grand Stories is to ensure these are never lost.

Recording the grand stories is available to download.

Worth its weight in trout

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Eighteen months since their first excursion, members of the Bait Wasters are totally hooked on their little group, ‘Skipper John’ tells Jessica Goulburn. 

“Good fishermen fish in any weather” says Skipper John, so come rain, hail or shine, the Bait Wasters Fishing Club heads out every month for a relaxing spot of fishing.

The Bait Wasters of the Probus Club of Ballarat South started some 18 months ago, and now around a dozen members on average attend each fishing trip. “We reached 28 at one outing,” John says. “It depends where we go.” Some outings are mornings, some are an all day adventure, but members agree, no matter where the fishing group meets, it’s sure to be great fun.

With females averaging at least half of the attendees, John recalls watching some of the less experienced ladies struggle to put bait on their hooks. The women actually catch the fish though. “I’m stoked, really happy about it,” says John. “I don’t get to fish with a lot of ladies and there are a lot of keen ones. And they enjoy it!”

John has approximately 60 years of fishing experience under his belt and relishes the opportunity to guide fellow Probus members. “A lot of these people haven’t fished before. They just need a little bit of guidance and I’ve been lucky enough to give them some,” John explains.

Lucky too with the weather. John equates a fisherman to a golfer – able to continue in any form of weather. He, however, has arranged excellent weather for all outings thus far.

After the catch (when they catch) the group fires up the hot smoker and prepares a feed. With the ladies joining in on the fun, John says the men often request sweets for morning or afternoon tea to finish off their meal. “One of the chaps gives one of the ladies orders,” he says. “He tells her: ‘If you’re coming fishing with us, don’t forget to bring a slice’.”

The end of the long drought has brought the fishing opportunities closer to members, with water filling the local lake and clearing the weeds. The Probus Club of Ballarat South was one of the first groups to take advantage of the large fish population now established in Lake Wendouree, and Bait Wasters’ very own ‘Gilligan’, otherwise known as Kelvin, was the first to catch a fish in the newly filled lake. It means that fishing adventures are a lot closer to home, and much easier to come by, right in the heart of Ballarat.

While John initially campaigned for the fishing group to be named Fish Feeders, he now claims that Bait Wasters is far more fitting. The theory is that if there’s no catch, the bait has been wasted and, according to the Skipper, this happens often.

It has been said that fishing is not a matter of life or death, it is much more serious than that. For the enthusiastic Bait Wasters, a day feeding fish is a relaxing adventure with humour, good company and some good grub to wrap up the day.

Worth its weight in trout is available for download.

Keep on trucking

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One of NBN Co’s five demonstrators, Graham Soawyer travels the country with the Discovery Truck, helping Australians understand the National Broadband Network. He told Jessica Goulburn about the truck, the NBN and his adventures.

“As a National Broadband Network (NBN) demonstrator, I travel around Australia in the Discovery Truck showing people what the NBN will eventually allow them to do online.

The NBN is the biggest infrastructure project the nation has ever undertaken. It will replace the copper telecommunications networks, which were started over 60 years ago, over a ten-year period and will give everyone, no matter where you are located, the opportunity to have an online presence.

The Discovery Truck, with expanders on each side, is close to double the size of the inside of a semi-trailer. We have a large screen wall and three additional screens on the inside. We’ve had more than 6000 people through the truck. Overwhelmingly, the feedback is positive, although some are perplexed when it comes to the technological side of things.

We show people what high definition videoconferencing is like and I’m finding a lot of mature-aged people now are using Skype. It’s the old story: you wonder what your kids or grandkids are doing in New York or London. The ability to see them and talk to them in real time, that’s the tip of the iceberg. With the NBN, no matter where you are in Australia, you will have that capability.

We also run a range of videos in areas of health, business and education. We have games such as fruit ninja and the new dance mat, which actually has a medical application. The NBN will also allow you to communicate with your doctor online.

My role is talking to people on a one-on-one basis. I find that if people come into the truck a little confused, by the time they leave, they have a pretty good understanding of how the network will make their lives easier.

There are three questions we get everyday: when, how much and what technology? The mature age groups are mostly concerned about cost. I’m from rural Victoria and it’s really nice to be able to go out and talk to people and say: “Look, it doesn’t matter where you are, you’ll have access to the same service at the same price as someone in the middle of Sydney or Melbourne.” That’s a pretty special message to be able to deliver.

Being able to talk to people and educate people on how the NBN works, and its benefits, is a very valuable opportunity.”

Keep on trucking is available for download.

Claiming government benefits

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Chances are, by now you know how you are going to handle your superannuation throughout retirement. What you may not know is that, even if you do have super, assets and savings, you may be eligible for government benefits.  

The main benefit available to retirees is the Age Pension – the taxpayer funded retirement income stream for those who cannot fully support themselves financially.

In order to be eligible for the Age Pension, certain criteria must be satisfied, including:

  • An age test. Eligibility kicks in at 65 for males and for females it currently sits between 64.5 and 65. From 2017, the age will increase to 65.5 and will continue to increase by six months every two years so that by 2023, it will be 67.
  • An income and assets test.
  • Residence requirements, which include being an Australian resident and being in Australia when an application is lodged. There is also the 10-year qualifying condition, which requires being a resident for a continuous period of 10 years or for a number of periods totalling 10 years, one being at least five years.

The Age Pension rate depends on whether you are single or have a partner, and is determined by assessing income and assets. This includes superannuation. “The Age Pension is means tested to ensure it goes to those most in need,” explains Pauline Vamos, CEO of The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia. “The government will look at your income and assets, which includes your superannuation balance, to determine your eligibility and how much you’ll receive.”

The primary home where you live, prepaid funeral expenses and any accommodation bonds are not included in the assets calculation.
The income and assets limits vary according to whether you own a home, you are single or part of a couple, or claiming a full or part pension.

Centrelink conducts both an assets and an income test to determine the rate of payment. The assets test compares your assessable assets to the assets test threshold. The income test determines whether your income is within the allowable income amount. The test that results in the lower rate will determine your overall pension qualification.

The final amount of Age Pension paid includes a pharmaceutical allowance, utilities allowance, GST supplement and a telephone allowance. It is reviewed and adjusted according to circumstantial change and is adjusted twice a year with increases in the cost of living.

What about super?

Benefits such as the Age Pension are designed as a ‘safety net’ for individuals who do not have enough superannuation or financial resources to provide adequately for retired life. While superannuation may impact your eligibility for Age Pension, most people will continue to be eligible for a full or part- pension, supplemented by the superannuation benefits.

You can access your super when you reach preservation age (55 for most people) and retire, when you turn 65, or under the ‘transition to retirement’ rules.

‘Transition to retirement’ means that once you have reached preservation age, you will be able to reduce your working hours and use your superannuation to top up your regular income. This allows you to gradually reduce your working hours to move into retirement.

Once you decide to retire and use your superannuation to provide an income, you can choose to withdraw the amount as a lump sum or you can take your super as a pension – a regular income payment.

AustralianSuper recommends most people choose a pension to access superannuation. “Superannuation can often be structured in a manner that can maximise your entitlement to Centrelink, even after retirement,” says AustralianSuper’s head of Advice Frank Ceravolo. This will depend on your overall assets.

No matter which way you choose to take your super, it’s important to save. “Having a proper budget in place can generally help to extend your pool of savings,” Pauline Vamos explains. “And applying for even a part-Age Pension if you’re eligible will reduce the drain on your super.”

Your superannuation regular payments, together with the Government Age Pension can make a significant difference to your weekly income in retirement, securing your financial future.

Claiming government benefits is available for download.