When Weary Dunlop resident Bill Hearn retired at 60, he knew he would miss his work colleagues most of all.
Throughout his 40-year career at Australia Post, Bill built lifelong friendships and achieved some monumental things.
As he reflects on the challenges he faced stepping back from his career, he credits these fond memories with energising and propelling him into his ‘third age’ of life.
“If you can keep in touch with your work colleagues, that’s the important part, not the work.” Bill says.
However, stepping back to spend time with his late wife Glynnis was his top priority, and the timing was right.
“I wanted to take her to all the wonderful places I got to visit while working,” he adds.
It was Bill’s passion for connecting with others that ultimately led him to discover his true purpose — volunteering.
For the last two decades, he has volunteered at Very Special Kids, who provide holistic palliative care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions.
“When you’ve got a child with a life-threatening illness, it brings an enormous amount of challenge to life,” Bill says.
“But the real heroes are the children themselves.”
Volunteering has given Bill a deep sense of fulfilment, keeping him engaged and connected to his community.
“It takes your mind away from yourself and into the community,” he says.
In addition to his work with Very Special Kids, Bill serves as an Independent Person and a Justice of the Peace.
An Independent Person supports young offenders who don’t have a parent or guardian to help them navigate the legal process.
“Some of the things these young people do are shocking and hurtful, but it’s no good just saying they should get a kick in the tail — you’ve got to do something to break the cycle,” Bill explains.
Bill finds joy and purpose in roles that many would find confronting.
His love for the community has also helped him through the most challenging times in his life.
When his wife Glynnis was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, they decided to move into Weary Dunlop Retirement Village to access better care.
Bill was grateful that Glynnis could receive the support she needed and that he could share meals with her every day when she moved to the care centre.
Moving into the village also helped Bill integrate seamlessly into a new community, where he quickly made new friends.
He is a regular at happy hour, where he runs the raffle and usually treats the crowd to his latest, long-winded dad joke.
It’s residents like Bill that embody the true Ryman spirit of kindness and dedication to his community.
To hear more from Bill, you can listen to his episode of Pod of the 3rd Age, also featuring Nine News icon Peter Hitchener.