Uniting AgeWell

15/02/2026

Rainbows, sparkles, cake and bubbly set the scene for a Midsumma High Tea that residents at Uniting AgeWell Manor Lakes Community are still talking about.

This year marks Uniting AgeWell’s decade-long involvement with the iconic annual three-week LGBTIQA+ Midsumma Festival including both the Carnival and the Pride March.
Celebrations of our commitment to the inclusive festival were held at all our residential sites, with Manor Lakes residents loving the rainbow-coloured treats including cupcakes, sandwiches, cakes and profiteroles. Residents also created artwork to complement the high table setting.

A Midsumma theme puzzle featuring Uniting AgeWell sites is being enjoyed across our residential communities: a delightful reminder that we're loud and so very proud that rainbow colours are part of our organisational blueprint.

We welcome people defining themselves on their own terms. Sometimes it’s colourful. Other times it’s understated - not in an attempt to dim the glitter but to remember that belonging doesn’t depend on it.

To find out more about joining Manor Lakes Community see https://www.unitingagewell.org/location/manor-lakes-community/

14/02/2026

Love makes the world go round.

Just ask Bob and Joyce Keddie who have been married for 69 years and don't need Valentine's Day to celebrate the joy of a lifetime together.

The couple lives at Uniting AgeWell Noble Park Community and already has a card from the Queen and one from Pope Francis congratulating them on their 60th wedding anniversary.

"We've been very happy, we've never had an argument about money - not even once!" says the great-grandmother.

They met when Bob was in the British Army and was stationed in Malta. They married, later moved to Australia, and like in all great love stories, lived happily ever after.

All our residential sites across Victoria and Tasmania are holding Valentine's Day celebrations.

Uniting AgeWell is proudly inclusive. We celebrate that love is love - and it is always a precious and very beautiful thing!

Learn more about Uniting AgeWell Noble Park Community https://www.unitingagewell.org/location/noble-park-community/

14/02/2026

There were quite a few lumps in throats and misty eyes among well-wishers as Laurie and Yvonne Johnston recently said "I do " again - 40 years later.

To mark their Ruby Wedding anniversary, the bride wore a long white wedding dress and then changed into an above-the-knee white dress with a ruby red sash and coronet of red roses for the reception. The groom looked dapper in blue.

Yvonne lives in their independent living unit at Uniting AgeWell Newnham Community Aldersgate Village while Laurie moved into the Aldersgate residential community on the same Launceston site when his needs became higher.

Chef Kim created a wedding cake that can only be described as a triumph. A chocolate confection with red and white icing and chocolate chips, with Yvonne's bouquet and table centrepiece in the same red and white hues.

The bridal music sounded, the flower girl (Lifestyle Coordinator Eleanor's daughter, Edie) sprinkled petals on the floor and residents, friends, families and staff gathered to watch as the bride made her entrance. Chaplain Marianne Pauls acted as a celebrant while the couple renewed their vows and exchanged rings. Then they sealed the ceremony with a tender kiss, leaving many onlookers reaching for their tissues.

The formalities over, the party started in earnest: the beer was cold, the bubbly flowed and DJ Craig Woods took requests for the dance floor. There was lots of excitement as all the single ladies were called up for the much-anticipated bouquet toss. The bride lobbed the bouquet so hard it would not have been out of place at the Australian Open, but it was no match for the cat-like reflexes of one particular resident who deftly caught it.

Now on Valentine's Day, of course the question on everyone's lips is "who is next?"

To find out more about joining our residential sites see https://www.unitingagewell.org/residential-care/

13/02/2026

Love at any age!

We all grew up inundated by stories of young love, those dizzy beginnings, the first kisses, the being swept off our feet and the expectation that we should all want a happy, ever after story. So it's disappointing, but not surprising that we have an entire culture that believes that love, romance and intimacy is only for the young.

In this episode of The Ageing Ideal we're stepping into the world of later life romance, companionship, desire and connection. We hear from people discovering new partnerships after decades of marriage, from those navigating dating and more.

We talk about grief and renewal, s*xuality and intimacy, independence and togetherness, and the courage it takes to love again, because love and older age isn't a footnote, it's a chapter.

Jacinta is joined by Ita Buttrose, one of Australia's most respected public voices,to discuss her frank reflections of s*x and love in later life in her memoir Unapologetically Ita.

Professor Deirdre Featherstone H***e from the Australian Center for evidence based aged care at La Trobe University, busts some of the biggest myths or misunderstandings about older people when it comes to love, romance, intimacy and s*xuality.

Listen to Episode 10 on your favourite podcast app or at https://www.unitingagewell.org/news/love-at-any-age/

13/02/2026

Congratulations to one of the world's leading researchers in dementia, Professor Henry Brodaty, for being named Senior Australian of the Year.

Scientia Professor Brodaty was honoured with an Australia Day Award for his contribution to research and policy development for dementia. He says Australians would benefit from a national healthy brain promotion program. "We need the Slip, Slop, Slap of brain health. The earlier we start, the better," he explains.

Prof Brodaty was a presenter in the 2024 National Mental Health Webinar series that was developed by Prof Joseph Ibrahim from Latrobe University and presented as a joint collaboration that included Uniting AgeWell.

Listen to the webinar series here : https://www.thecommuniques.com/post/episode-3-depression-recognition-and-management

13/02/2026

Uniting AgeWell recognises that the cruel removal of children from parents and family, and the growing up without knowledge of culture, kinship, and connection to land and country, has long term severe consequences.

Today, on the anniversary of the National Apology to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who became known as members of the Stolen Generation, we stand with you, your family, your mob, whether they are known to you or still a missing connection in your life.

We will listen to your pain, acknowledge your loss, and be active in hearing and telling the truth, always walking beside you towards healing.

You can find out more about how Uniting AgeWell is walking together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders here: https://www.unitingagewell.org/about/our-values/diversity-and-inclusion/walking-together/

03/02/2026

As grandparents today play a variety of roles in their children’s and grandchildren’s lives there can be a range of pressures experienced by grandparents including caregiving, financial support and family dysfunction or breakdown.

In this episode, Ann McLeish, Director of Grandparents Victoria talks with Jacinta Parsons about those pressures, what rights grandparents hold and how they can communicate those boundaries with some grace and some confidence.

Listen to the podcast on your favourite podcast app or at unitingagewell.org/podcast

You can also be notified of new episodes by following The Ageing Ideal on your favourite podcast app.

03/02/2026

Congratulations to one of Australia's most trusted psychologists and also a guest on The Ageing Ideal podcast, Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, for being awarded with an Order of Australia (OAM) on Monday.

He is the author of 14 books including Grandparents. He joins our podcast host Jacinta Parsons in an episode entitled ‘Grand expectations – the modern grandparent.’ They discuss how grand parenting today is vastly different to the experience of previous generations and how demands on them have changed.

Dr Carr-Gregg received the OAM for distinguished service to child and adolescent psychology, to policy reform as an advocate and advisor, to youth cyber safety and to the community.

Listen to him offer some clear principles for navigating the collision of experience across the generations and some golden rules of engagement on our podcast at unitingagewell.org/podcast

27/01/2026

Meet Janice and Chris. They are adoring grandparents who split their time between Canberra and Melbourne to support their two children and five grandchildren who live in both states.

Janice still works and Chris, a retired teacher, is in the process of completing his PhD in education at 72. They are one of the four generations living under one roof, sharing their home with their daughter and husband, their children and Janice’s mum.

Together they have navigated boundaries, learned about neurodiversity and re-defined their thinking around the traditional roles of grandparents.

In this episode, Jacinta speaks with Janice, Chris and their daughter Alice about how they made space for a new kind of grandparenting that lives somewhere between love and limits.

This episode poses the challenge – perhaps we should consider grandparenting not as a duty but a dance between generations, where everyone learns the steps together.

Listen to Episode 3 on your favourite podcast app or at unitingagewell.org/podcast

You can also be notified of new episodes by following The Ageing Ideal on your favourite podcast app.

24/01/2026

Uniting AgeWell, like the wider Uniting Church in Australia acknowledges the invitation from the UAICC - Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress to recognise Sunday 25 January as a Day of Mourning. We lament the effects of colonisation, violence, and ongoing injustice against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We honour and affirm the resilience and sovereignty of First Peoples, and we commit to truth-telling, standing in solidarity, and deep listening that supports healing. Let us all be part of shaping a different future.

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Today, on the eve of a day where some people celebrate, others will lament, and another group will hold space to do both.

We hold in our minds and our hearts the tragedy and loss of such violent dispossession, that is the story of how we came to be First and Second peoples of these lands. We lament the unspeakable pain, the lost opportunities, and the brokenness that has been intergenerational.

We also give thanks for the resilience and the quiet strength of First Peoples. For their faith and their grace-filled willingness to share culture and hospitality.

We pray for God’s continued grace for each of us as we sit in the discomfort and continue to walk the journey of truth telling.

Our God delights in all of creation and longs for a time that all of creation, including all people will be healed and whole, fully reconciled to God and to each other. We join with this hope to see God’s justice and God’s peace in this place.

𝑊𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑦 𝐾𝑦𝑚 𝐾𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑒, 𝑈𝐴𝐼𝐶𝐶 𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑑 𝐺𝑢𝑤𝑎 𝐾𝑜𝑎, 𝐾𝑢𝑘𝑢 𝑌𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑗𝑖 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛. 𝐴𝑟𝑡𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑏𝑦 𝑍𝑜𝑒 𝐾𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑒, 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑑 𝐺𝑢𝑤𝑎 𝐾𝑜𝑎, 𝐾𝑢𝑘𝑢 𝑌𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑗𝑖 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑎𝑘𝑘𝑎 𝑊𝑎𝑘𝑘𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐶ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦.

#𝘂𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗳𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 #𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝟮𝟲𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆

21/01/2026

Celebrating a decade of Midsumma involvement

Staff with smiles as bright as their rainbow dove T-shirts – and in some cases their tutus and wings – were the sparkle that made Uniting AgeWell’s stall a stand-out destination at the Midsumma Carnival over the weekend.

This year marked Uniting AgeWell's decade-long involvement in Midsumma and once again the brightly festooned stall was a statement of pride, visibility and a commitment to ensuring that every stage of life is lived authentically.

Read more about the festivities here: https://www.unitingagewell.org/news/celebrating-a-decade-of-midsumma-for-uniting-agewell/

20/01/2026

Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg is one of Australia’s most trusted psychologists and successful author of 14 books including “Grandparents, A practical guide to navigating grandparenting today”.

In this episode of The Ageing Ideal called "Grand expectations," host Jacinta Parsons talks to Michael about how grand parenting today is a vastly different to the experience of previous generations of grandparents, how demands on grandparents have changed and the essential role they can play in a positive identity formation for the children of the family.

In this episode of The Ageing Ideal called “Grand Expectations”, Michael offers some clear principles for navigating the collision of experience across the generations and some golden rules of engagement.

Listen to Episode 3 on your favourite podcast app or at unitingagewell.org/podcast

You can also be notified of new episodes by following The Ageing Ideal on your favourite podcast app.