During the reporting period, CMTD has undertaken a range of activities to support the ACT Strategic Plan for Positive Ageing 2010-2014 through the delivery of the Centenary of Canberra. These include:
Information & Communication
Information on the Centenary of Canberra Program has been distributed in accessible formats through a variety of media and approaches, making the information more easily available and accessible for older people. The Centenary of Canberra Program has used print media, radio and online formats to provide information and to promote the program, and through telephone, correspondence, face-to-face and online services
The Centenary of Canberra has sought to distribute information and engage with older people by liaising with peak bodies, government agencies, aged care homes, retirement villages, senior citizen centres, seniors' clubs/groups and senior service organisations.
Health and Wellbeing
The Centenary of Canberra Seniors Focus Group provides advice on various aspects of the Centenary of Canberra including marketing to seniors, event considerations for seniors and transport for seniors. The meetings also focus on a number of existing projects for seniors and ways the projects can be extended to engage this demographic.
The Centenary of Canberra has directly supported a number of initiatives to promote health and wellbeing amongst older people:
- Australia's Masters Athletics National Championships: Over 600 athletes competed at the Championships in Canberra in March-April 2013 (supported through the Community Centenary Initiatives Fund).
- 2013 Rowing Australia Masters Regatta: Over 2,900 participants attended the event in May 2013 (supported through the Community Centenary Initiatives Fund).
- The ACT Centenary Masters Golf Tournament: Held in April with total of 140 entrants, the oldest being 92 years of age (supported through the Community Centenary Initiatives Fund).
- Kick Up Your Heels: A celebration of social dancing over 100 years. One dance per month will take place in 2013 to represent each decade. Tickets to each event delivered during the reporting period were sold out. These events were especially popular with older people.
Respect, Valuing and Safety
The Centenary of Canberra has approved a number of initiatives to promote greater respect and intergenerational understanding of older persons, including;
- Centenarians Stories: The project celebrates 25-30 of Canberra's Centenarians (ACT Region residents aged 100 years or over) and will capture their 100 years as Canberrans and Australians.
- Centenary Medallions: 44 special Centenary medallions were presented to Canberrans who turned 100 years or over in 2013. Medallions were presented by the Chief Minister at a ceremony at Regatta Point in January. The Chief Minister also visited those centenarians who were unable to attend the ceremony in their homes.
- Museum of the Long Weekend: A project transported and assembled by 'grey nomads'. This project asks older caravanning Australians to collect memorabilia, super 8 film, photos, stories, etc., from a lifetime worth of holidays and to bring them to Canberra to share these memories. The project will team older Australians with youth to prepare the materials for show.
Work and Retirement
The Centenary of Canberra has actively promoted volunteering opportunities for older people. The Centenary of Canberra hosted seven community information sessions at locations across Canberra in the reporting period, which resulted in 352 Centenary of Canberra volunteers, many of them being senior citizens in the ACT community.
