Oasis Magazine - Cairns & Tropical North Queensland Issue 19 - Aug|Sep 2017 | Page 37

What are some of the joys of getting older that we don’t talk about enough? FRAN: Sleeping in! And not having to rush to get places. And walking, for no other reason but just to walk, I really am enjoying that! And riding my bike around the beautiful creeks on the pathways. MARIO: You have time to reflect on past decades. I get sad as so many traditions are just being discarded and lost, seemingly just for the sake of change. I think change is exciting however we also need to consider the consequences of these changes. CHRIS: I don’t think we praise each other enough. I think we are a bit reluctant to talk about great things people from our generation have done for our community. There’s a lot of concern for our environmental future. How worried are you and what should we be doing? CHRIS: Plastic bags weren’t around when I was younger. We always used string bags for groceries. And of course, we’ve just finished July which was Plastic Free July, but it was also Dry July. But I couldn’t possibly do both, so I gave up plastics! {all laugh} FRAN: Sometimes I think we are a bit blasé about waste. I agree with reducing plastic bags. On my walks and rides, I see a lot of rubbish, which ends up in the creeks. It’s such a shame that there’s so much littering. And I think it’s wrong the farmers get blamed for a lot of environmental issues than they are responsible for. MARIO: There’s been a change in culture, and it’s now easier to blame others than to take responsibility for your own actions. And I think it’s a real shame that these environmental issues have been taken to a political level. Because when it’s taken away from the scientists, and put in the hands of politicians, it looses the meaning. And we need to remember that habits take a while to change. We can’t decide today that we are going to stop using coal power today, and have the entire country onto solar tomorrow. We’ve got a lot of sun, and a lot of desert, and solar seems like a good idea, but it won’t happen overnight. What could Cairns do better to be more inclusive for our senior population? CHRIS: I think this Council does very well for Seniors, but we still need a little bit more attention. It does seem that activities are quite focussed on youth. When the Lagoon and Esplanade was first redeveloped, there were a lot of activities for seniors. But that seems to have died down a bit and the focus has been shifted towards higher energy activities like Zumba, which is just a bit too fast for many seniors. I’d love to see some more options like that. MARIO : I may be an outdated dinosaur, but I really thought we could have had a rail system in Cairns by now. I’d love to r Trinity Beach, see carparks at Edmonton and and then have the option to catch a train into town. FRAN: Easy and inexpensive access to some of the events around town. Seeing free entry to the art galleries. Some of the Hail & Ride bus routes are not very accessible. If you’re o g et around town. without a vehicle, it’s quite There used to be a CityBus which looped around and that was really helpful. And more seating in public areas. I know if I go for a walk along the Esplanade, I do like to have a sit down. And especially when waiting for a bus in the heat, I’d like to see some more sheltered seating. I know that there is a trend to remove the seating to reduce vagrancy or vandalism, but you can’t take away services because of the bad people, because that means you’re punishing the good people. There’s a lot of criticism levelled at GenY’s for their sense of entitlement. Is this a fair estimation or a untrue characterisation? FRAN: Are GenY’s the ones that wear their jeans down low, and you can see the lines o f their bum? Is that where the “Y” comes from? {all laugh} CHRIS: Some of the younger one will always say that the Baby Boomers had everything. But we didn’t get what we got by borrowing money to get things at a snap of fingers. We worked hard and saved up for something and then bought it when we had enough money. And of course, many of those people who are criticising the Baby Boomers have done fairly well from their parents. Who paid for their Uni or their first car? They often seem to forget about things like that. FRAN: I see a lot of grandparents looking after grandkids. Because then there’s a need to go back to work so they can keep paying the bills and buying all the stuff that is apparently ‘needed’ and paying off the big houses with the Media Rooms. MARIO: I think it’s the Baby Boomers fault! We’ve allowed this to happen. We’ve accepted a lot of changes over the decades, and perhaps been too lax in discipline. So, in a way, the trend of grandparents looking after their grandkids, could be the saving grace for the next generation. If grandparents can be a more positive influence on their grandkids, and reinstate some of the values that seem to have disappeared, it could work out quite well. Issue 19 | 37