A brilliant social and educating event has been held annually in Perth since 1992 and I had the pleasure of attending this event on 11 November 2020. The Have a Go Day is run by the Seniors Recreation Council and is targeted at the over 55’s demographic.
Over 230 displays by groups and organisations assembled at Burswood Park. There was estimated to be about 15,000 plus people attending on the day. It did look as if there were thousands of people attending and queues were long at the food stalls etc. However, the seniors did behave themselves!
This is a LiveLighter event and encourages people to get out and enjoy themselves. “Have a Go Day is designed to make seniors aware of the importance of exercise, socialisation and both physical and mental activity.” – srcwa.asn.au
I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of groups there and the plethora of things that people can see and do in Perth… It is easy to be active when there is a group for everyone. Social groups are a great way to make new friends, develop new skills, or share current ones and in many cases – giving to the community.
For travellers, this is a great introduction to interstate and international groups as well. You can be a part of an organisation near your home, and come along to meetings and events of the organisation situated where you will be travelling. Always contact them in advance, you may want to extend your visit to different travel dates so that you can attend events.
The WA Caravan and Camping group said that they often had interstate people contact them to assist with unexpected repairs etc., so this is also valuable to know.
As the event was held on Remembrance Day, one minutes silence was held at 11am, with a bugler playing the Last Post.
Two Royal Air Force planes did a fly over and dropped paper poppies that floated to the ground. Some were specially marked with prizes, others had the name of the RSL (Returned and Services League) branch on the return side.
Groups such as the Tins and Collectables Clubs, the Penny Farthing group and the model shipmaking group had excellent memorabilia displays.
It does make you feel old when you see items from your childhood on an antique display! (It is the TV and lunch boxes from my childhood, not the Penny Farthing!)
Or maybe, the MG club had your more preferred mode of transport.
The Mad Hatters Morris Dancers entertained in an amazing colourful display.
I definitely stopped to smell the beautiful and fragrant roses at the Rose society display.
The West Australian Floral Art Society invited me to come along to their meetings. In fact, every group at the Have a Go Day was friendly and inviting. Their floral displays were gorgeous, and people were encouraged to make a little floral buttonhole at the stand.
The COCOA – (Come Out Camping Older Adults) do an enormous amount of social activities and were a lot of fun to chat to. So were the CWA (Country Women’s Association), Probus and Rotary groups. (I will write articles on these groups in the near future. There are so many great things they do, they each deserve their own story.)
Walking around, these Purple crafted flowers attracted my attention.
This is a community awareness campaign that shared a hope of spreading a message – the road represents a journey that every person must take. Purple is the colour of age and wisdom. Art and Craft Groups and older adults have contributed to the Purple Road.
A special mention to three amazing groups at the event, who will each will be covered in other stories in the next few months. They are so amazing they each need their own article.
Bicycles for Humanity take donated bikes and refurbish them to be sent to Africa. I will be donating my superseded pushbike to them.
Wheelchairs for Kids who since 1998 have donated over 46,000 wheelchairs for children to over 90 locations worldwide.
Cycling without Age who take older Australians out for rides on their amazing bikes.
A special thank you to all the people who graciously allowed me to photograph them, the volunteers who made this day incredibly seamless, the Seniors Recreation Council of WA for hosting the event, and all the friendly people who manned the stalls all day. If you get an opportunity to attend this event any year, there will be amazing information and many opportunities to keep active into your senior years.
Happy Travels!
