16 I Never Said No To Anything

ENG

“We may be oldies, but we still have a zest for life.
I encourage you to wave to us when we come rolling in our new cart as we’ll be waving at you!” Bonnie Roberts, 89, says as she cuts the ribbon launching Cycling Without Age in Sandringham. Her sense of community is not new. As a founder of Caroline House, Bonnie steered this women and children’s refuge from being funded by voluntary contributions only, to a recognized, government-funded shelter.

“Growing up I witnessed my parents helping families during the depression. Some of the children in school came from large families who had very little. I used to share my sandwiches. Back then in Tasmania, people worked with mining, fishing and orchards, but my father was a country store manager. On Fridays, I’d watch the women shop for a cup of flour and a cup of sugar. I wondered how their families would cope with such a small amount. In Sunday school I’d learned about the bread and the fish … deep down I hoped the cups of flour and sugar would increase just like that.”

In 1971 she and five other women established the world-famous Salamanca Market. Bonnie is the only founder still alive today.

“I’ve never said no to anything. Life doesn’t stop because you’re in aged care. You must stay curious. I really should slow down at my age. It’s just that there’s so much to be done.” She has now joined classes at The University of the Third Age.“It’s not simple, but if I were to encourage the younger generations in any way, I’d tell them to contribute. I’m at the end of my life and looking back you should be able to say, I’ve done the best I can. I had a go! ”

“People ask me these days how I’d like to celebrate my 90s; just a cup of tea with the family, I tell them. But my dream is to write the story of the six women who created the Salamanca Market. Life is about the stories we share.”

Words by: Dorthe Pedersen, Founder