Retiring Back Into Youth
It’s a gated new community, where you need to use an intercom to get in. Every lawn is trimmed and neatly perfected. The houses are lined replicas of themselves, one after the other, with only the delicate personal touches separating them apart. The letterboxes are empty and the street is quiet, where the suns rays bounce off the newly paved concrete to exemplify the picturesque nature as you drive through. It’s an almost faultless suburbia. For younger generations looking to secure a house in the future, this newly set up quarter ticks off the ideals we’d note down on our checklist. You’d get access to a gym, a swimming pool and a well fitted cinema where you could put the footy on the big screen or watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones - that’s what John Brady does anyways. Now 62 years-old and in his first year of retirement, after having worked for forty-one years handling land and proper titles, John is eager to revert back to his days of amusement and leisure when he was a kid. He defines his career as ‘cruisy’, with not much excitement but rather being methodical and recited. It was okay though and he didn’t mind it, he just knew he was ready to move on. “My retirement was really to let my hair down and to have a really good time,” said John. With a Qantas manager as a father, his life was bred to be an adventurous one, attending thirteen different schools through his boyhood, as they traveled from one location to another. The greatest journey of John’s life by far, being the cherished and vivid memory of living on Cocos Keeling Islands, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, when he was 10-years-old. “The island was the length of the airstrip, it was a fuel depot. We’d go to school barefoot, only wearing our t-shits and shorts, and when the planes would land we’d get to run out and have a look inside the cockpit and race along the aisles. Felt like we were on one of the islands from those TV shows, being away from mainstream society.” Lapsing back into the carefree nature he once held was an easy transition for John. His garage door is open to welcome passerbys, as much as he invites the fresh air and light to live up the outdoors. “I’m probably not lacking in confidence most times, I’ll have a go at most things,” muses John. He doesn’t need to speak it for it to be noted, with his exuberance shining through. “I’m probably helping too much with the management here sometimes, doing their job for them, you’ve got to be careful,” laughs John. An active member of the community reserved for seniors only, he’s on the younger side of the population in this village, but it’s clear he’s youthfulness and high-spirits leads some colour to flow through the pristine streets. “Our plans all fit in because we’re all a group of fellows and ladies who are retired together and we can go out on adventures anytime we like. We go on big four-wheel drive trips. My vehicle is a little toy as they call it, but apparently I serve as a bit of entertainment with the things I get up to, ” said John sheepishly. Perhaps it has something to do with the batch of home brewed beers he’s set up in his garage, which he’s claimed as his man-cave, with a workbench up against one side of the wall. It’s one of many hobbies he dabbles in and experiments about with.
Don’t be surprised if you come around and see him with other seniors having a laugh and drinking under the shade of the garage, getting up for a bit of karaoke or walking down to the lawn bowls together to socialise and drag others into their adventures. “I’d advise anyone who is retiring, just to be outgoing, form new friends, go out with old friends and just enjoy life, cause I mean there’s still plenty of years if you’re healthy. If you’re one of the lucky ones that hasn’t had any major health scares, you need to keep walking, keep doing things and make your mind active.” With such vivaciousness, John could be mistaken for any young bloke with the adventures he’s experienced and is still living up. Retirement doesn’t have to be dreary, not when in one calm village you’ll find Mr Brady in his garage reviving his past youthfulness and mischief habits that will never leave him.
