AUSTRALIA: These Days Even the Retired Don't Have Time to Care

BRISBANE (Brisbane Times), June 26, 2007: Where are all the grey-haired activists? Where are all the war babies and baby boomers who have retired? Why aren't they using their leadership skills and knowledge acquired over a lifetime of work to help organisations concerned with environmental, social and cultural issues? Do they want to keep working or do they need to? Are they still paying off mortgages? Is this a conspiracy of the Howard Government to keep them busy so that they don't have time to march in the streets? Are they all working as volunteers? Our museums and art galleries rely more on an unpaid workforce. If it were not for these retirees many charities, cultural centres and social institutions would be in desperate straits, considering what they receive from federal and state governments. Are they babysitting their grandchildren? Half the residents in my suburb are aged between 25 and 54. If you go by the numbers of baby buggies in the parks and shopping centres you would think the majority of this age group have been busy producing the next generation of Aussies. But most of them are busy at work. Very busy. Many work overtime or would like to have their work hours reduced but can't. They also can't afford or find suitable child care. So who's looking after the kids? The grandparents. Certainly there are the traditional retired sections of the population out there: the grey nomads seeking the sun with their caravans or on cruises, the lizards basking at the beach or on the golf course, the habitues of the pokie clubs keeping those clubs going financially and the groupies at the writers' and film festivals. But they don't do these activities all the time. Where are they the rest of the time? I have joined a grey power group and this month I went to Denman to protest against the Anvil Hill coal mine. Some of the locals who addressed the crowd of 500 were retired dairy farmers and winemakers. They really appreciated the people who came to support them. But few of them were of their age group. Mind you, not many of the protesters were uni students, either. I guess they're too busy working three jobs to pay for their courses. But that's another story. Aren't older people concerned about climate change? Maybe they've had it so good for so long that they don't believe the planet is suffering a threat second only to nuclear war. And, if they are aware, aren't they concerned about their grandchildren's future? Or are they just too busy, as the rest of the population seems to be? By Judy Ebner Copyright © 2007. Brisbane Times.