A big warm welcome to our autumn Bendigo Seniors 2021 magazine. Over a certain age, into the magic realm of being a 'senior' is where the freedom to go when you like and where you like arrives.
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The magazine gives you a chance to read about and go explore more possibilities than you ever imagined for this stage of your life.
Do you fancy learning a new pastime, or tickling up your knowledge of what the options are for your aging parents, or just need some inspiration from like-minded folk in our community? You've come to the right place.
Then there's the chance to look at what lifestyle suits you best. You might prefer to keep working, or simply sit on the couch forever, but the insights into why you want to is a revealing process.
As we baby boomers grow old disgracefully, it's encouraging to read about how others change direction and lifestyle, and how their worlds open up.
Like our story about Eric Van der Wal, who finds himself in Bendigo due to family, after a career that took him around the world working in many different cultures and countries. You can read our interview with Eric on page 4.
There is also good news about our memory in this edition.
If you are worried about forgetting things - forget it is the advice because forgetfulness may be a sign of an efficient brain at work!
If you have you ever run into a someone at the supermarket and failed to recognise them, the boffins say to blame your brilliant, lazy brain.
A study led by Assistant Professor Oliver Baumann of Bond University shed fresh light on the way the body's most complex organ captures memories.
Researchers looked specifically at how the brain reacts when people encounter a person or object out of context for the first time.
Dr Baumann said that as we have only ever seen the co-worker at the office, the memory system appears to generate a snapshot that fuses the person and the office together.
"Our brain thinks that person belongs in that room," Dr Baumann said.
"If you encounter them somewhere else, that creates a problem in that you might not recognise them.
"That doesn't happen once our brain learns the person exists independently of the room.
"Second time, third time around, our brain would not make that mistake again but encode the person and the room separately."
That's great news so if you want to give your poor tired mind a pat on the err... back, then turn to page 20 to find out more.
Other fascinating reading includes a funny poem about retail therapy, health advice like why wearing gloves in the garden is a good thing, and why music is so good for us.
Of course there is the usual baking, craft, trivia and brain food, just what you have come to expect each time, from the special publications team. Enjoy!