Time of Our Lives

Time of Our Lives presents the extraordinary lives of ordinary women in their seventies, eighties and nineties, challenging the stereotype of the helpless old woman who is nothing more than a burden.

This collection demonstrates the rich experiences of 20 women of diverse backgrounds, all of whom have achieved great things in older age. Mig Dann worked for David Bowie and gained a PhD in her eighties. Miriam Rose Ungunmerr Baumann, the first Indigenous schoolteacher in the Northern Territory, is showing young people about culture and community. Olive Trevor’s love of gardening led her to become a world expert in bromeliads. From Robina Rogan, a boatbuilder planning a voyage at age 82, to Rosemary Salvaris, a 76-year-old civil celebrant who’s taken up orienteering, these women show that learning has no age limit.

As the generation of Australian women who waved the flag for feminism enters retirement, let’s change the conversation around what it means to be ‘old’. Our ageing population is not a burden – it’s time to celebrate the contributions that older women make to our community.

Maggie with Hilary Harper on Life Matters