Our Aboriginal fellow citizens have a wonderful custom embedded in their long tradition of respect and acknowledgement of their senior people. They refer to them as “Elders”.

Every generation stands on the shoulders of the ones who have preceded them, and there is so much we can learn from their lives and example. It is well beyond the knowledge or even imagination of many younger people to conceive of living without the things we take for granted in this 21st century.                                       

Who can remember when the only water for household usage was what ran off the roof and filled up the tank when it rained?

This necessitated a very careful management, and wastage or leaking taps were well monitored. Are we so careful today of leaking taps or overflowing containers?

How many people save their laundry water, by plugging in a hosepipe to irrigate their lawns?

Nowadays, we just turn on a switch and we have electric lighting. What about the old kerosene lanterns and the excitement when Aladdin made an appearance?

Are we really careful about the way we look after our use of electricity? Do we leave lights on unnecessarily?

Do we monitor our use of heating and cooling to use it to its best advantage? How about our garbage disposal?

Most of us would disapprove of littering, yet hardly a day goes by without our gutters becoming the inappropriate place for empty bottles and cans and take away wrappings.

We are fortunate to have an excellent garbage collection service, but are we always careful about putting things into the right bin?                                                 

These are just some of the practical ways of recognising our inheritance, but I believe it all goes much deeper, and has lots more to do with value systems, ethical stance, respect and tolerance.

Our Australian culture in this day and age is becoming more and more multicultural, with many more people from various parts of the world adopting Australia as their new homeland.                                                                                       

Whatever their background, skin colour, country of origin, or religious affiliation, every person is entitled to their place in our society, and to hold their forbears in respectful memory. Another important element is the increasing age of the average population. More and more people are living well into their eighties and nineties, and with that goes another element of today’s living.

While disability is certainly not confined to the elderly, there is an increasing number of elderly men and women using mobility aids to get about, and an equally increasing number of drivers needing handicapped parking places in the CBD. Respect is the word that comes to my mind.

The helping hand, the friendly greeting or the offer of practical assistance like holding a door open, or not running into someone because you were absorbed by your mobile phone, are all beautiful and inexpensive ways of respecting our Seniors.

So – to all those who belong to this Senior Strata of our City – may you enjoy the days and years that lie ahead, may you cherish the memories and share them with family and friends.

Whether senior or otherwise you could enjoy a sausage sandwich at Bunnings on Friday to support the Bloomfield Hospital Auxiliary.