‘I didn’t expect to be a model at my age’: The women over 80 defying stereotypes

My father was 83 when he discovered the joy of snorkelling. On holiday together in New Caledonia, I can still remember the joy on his face when he emerged from the water and whipped off his mask, marvelling at the brilliant pops of coral and fish that he’d only ever seen on a screen. “All these years wasted,” he cried. “How did I not know this existed?”

Yet when I shared this story, it was often met with shock and awe that my father would be interested in anything beyond baking a welcome cake for the Grim Reaper. Although many believe that octogenarians are frail, dotty and ready to “call it a day”, this perception is slowly changing, explains Dr Anne Ring, author of Engaging with Ageing. “One of the interesting things about living longer and healthier lives is that women – and men, of course – have the time to explore opportunities that perhaps weren’t possible when they were younger,” Ring says. “This might mean embarking on a new career they’d always had their heart set on, or investing in a new hobby, because this is a time when you lose a lot of that fear that held you back previously; ageing is very freeing.”

Here, three women in their 80s explain why they’re living their best life.

“I’m fronting major fashion campaigns across the country”

Patricia Rosenbrock-Coles, 80

“By this age, you’re in a comfortable space about yourself and who you are” Credit: Rolfe De Guzman

“I have lived many lives within my 80 years, from school teacher and mother raising four children on a farm in rural Victoria, to travelling the world extensively with my husband back when he was a member for the International Olympic Committee; we campaigned for Sydney to become the host city for the year 2000. There were careers in various industries between those two points, too – everything from tourism to running a John Farnham concert, but this is a roundabout way of explaining that I’ve always been a big believer in seizing every opportunity that comes your way.

I didn’t expect to become a model at my age. When my daughter convinced me to sign up with Silverfox Mgmt [a modelling agency representing talent over 30], I didn’t think I’d be suitable and only did it to humour her. The team at the agency, however, were very encouraging, so I auditioned for several campaigns and within a few months, I had been chosen to appear in the Mother’s Day campaigns for both Paspaley and Country Road. Of course, when you’re my age, it’s difficult to stand side-by-side with the beautiful young models, but the shoots were so much fun and the outcomes were incredible. I couldn’t believe it when I walked into a Country Road store and there I was on a huge screen.

I’ve never felt invisible because – ironically – visibility is something I never looked for. True, women my age have traditionally been overlooked in mainstream media, but that’s all beginning to change now that brands are recognising that we’re the ones with the spending power. Why not advertise to our age group using people who look like us, wrinkles and all? There were many older women walking the catwalk at the Melbourne and Australian Fashion Weeks and that’s no happy accident. It’s nice to flip the script on the way some sections of our society view what they call the ‘blue-rinse brigade’.

There are challenges that come with modelling in your 80s. The technology, all those file transfers, halo lights and other tools when you’re trying to arrange auditions can be a nightmare, but life in general is wonderful. By this age, you’re in a comfortable space about yourself and who you are; you’ve seen interesting things so you’ve got great stories, but you’ve also got time to create more. Recently, I went on a backpacking adventure to Italy with my daughter, and we’re going to the Olympics in Paris. I’ve had a very fortunate journey so far and I’m looking forward to what’s next.”

“I’m setting up my own company”

Susan Barnes, 82

“The older one gets, the more vital it is to keep expanding horizons with contributions to community and new ideas.”

“Had I pictured myself as 80-plus in my younger years, my expectations would have been extremely limited; 80 back then did seem ancient. Fortunately, perceptions of age are slowly changing. Having said that, there are still occasions when people speak to me in a louder-than-appropriate voice, which can prompt me to say, ‘I may be older but I’m not deaf’.

I’ve always had a curiosity about the world, especially linguistically. As a very young child, I remember my mother speaking French with her friends and I was fascinated with the language. French and France have formed a large part of my education and life in general. When my husband and I were living in Washington D.C., I studied linguistics, which led to an ongoing interest in translating.

Living and raising two children in that city at the time was hair-raising, so in 1976 we went in search of somewhere more peaceful. Vanuatu was meant to be a holiday, but we never quite left, having fallen in love with its vibrancy and multilingual status: English, French and Bislama. After Independence, with a group of shareholders, we built White Sands Resort, 22 kms outside Port Vila. White Sands was then sold to a golfing group after being rebuilt following cyclone Uma.

Sometime after, as a solo venture, I built Tamanu Beach Resort with a team of talented, local artisans. The resort was sold and is now redeveloped, though many of its wonderful, original features remain. I visit Vanuatu periodically, the country and its people will always be a part of my life and I think, the lives of my children.

For decades, I have worked between projects for the same organisation as a translator. Now, I’m in the process of setting up my own company with a view to choosing interesting, more complex topics to translate. I’m lucky in having family and friends who are very supportive of my endeavours.

The older one gets, the more vital it is to keep expanding horizons with contributions to community and new ideas. One is less likely to carry the weight of loneliness when efforts are useful and community driven. To that end, since 2012 I have made multiple trips to remote areas of the Northern Territory with a view to helping improve health and housing in remote Indigenous communities. I’m not alone in this; most of the older friends I have, both in Australia and globally, are doing diverse, interesting things – and we’re all working hard.

There are many benefits of life in your 80s. Being able to view and appreciate life mostly without fear, and to love without feeling vulnerable, are but two. I’m more appreciative of nature in all forms: the ocean, dogs, trees, horses, the wonder and complexity of nature’s colours – beauty I may not have loved so completely in younger days. Finally, I definitely have more compassion for the vulnerable, all happy bonuses of ageing.”

“I’m always planning my next book”

Loukie Werle, 81

“You don’t stop being who you are because you simply grew older.”

“My career to this point is probably best described as ‘a great surprise – even to me’. One minute I was raising my family and making quiches and terrines at a lunchtime restaurant, and the next I was asked to write recipes for Cosmopolitan magazine. That was in the early 1980s, and everything snowballed from that point on, including having dedicated pages for my recipes in SHE, House & Garden and Australian Table magazines, as well as the cookbooks I wrote and produced with my husband, Phil. We published our first cookbook, Trattoria Pasta in 1993, which was a great success, and have since added another 14.

There’s this idea that when you get to a certain age, you’ll stop working so hard; I’ve lost count of the number of times people have said to me, ‘But why continue to do this at your age?’ When Phil and I moved to the Central Coast and put an end to the cooking school I ran from our kitchen three nights a week for 14 years, I’m sure people thought we’d come to retire. Of course, once we moved into the beautiful home we built ourselves, I was inspired to write my latest cookbook, HOME, which is filled with recipes of the things I love most, as well as lovely pictures of our home and its interiors. Obviously, working is great fun, but we also just enjoy spending time on projects together.

I think 80 today looks very different to what it used to; we dress and act a lot younger than our grandparents, or even our parents did, and we’re free to live each day as we choose without all the drudgery. We’ve raised our children, paid off our homes and retired (well, maybe not all of us), so now – provided we’re healthy enough – we can revel in the feeling of doing whatever we like, when we like. Obviously, my work keeps me busy and we love seeing our grandchildren, but I’ve also recently started going to the gym twice a week, which has been a wonderful discovery. I feel stronger both physically and mentally, but I’ve also met so many great people. It’s a lovely community.

When you get to my age, I don’t know that you have any huge ambitions left – I’m certainly not about to run a marathon. I’ve travelled the world and done everything I ever wanted to do, so I’m happy to potter, read and enjoy our home. That said, I am already planning my next book. When I told Phil, he just smiled and said, ‘You’re never not writing another book’. What can I say? You don’t stop being who you are because you simply grew older.”

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