76 and still working....

[98tls]

All this yap re raising the retirement age had me thinking of a conversation i had recently with the driver of one of the red etc Commodore motorway patrol cars (yep on the side of road) and during said conversation he told me he was 76 years old,the whole incident was kinda weird but i left mobile which i shouldnt have all things considered so thought myself lucky and fucked off 76 jesus really? Anyone else know of anyone working full time at such an age?Fwiw the bloke looked barely 65 let alone the rest.

[Akzle]

not full time, no.
or perhaps i should say, not gainfully employed full time.

for plenty of people, they stop working: they die.

if you have your health and enjoy what you do, why not?


...along with many of the other horseshit ideas of old-society, "age" as a demographic, is a useless one.

[AllanB]

That's odd - I would have though he would have been given compulsory retirement at that age in that job.


A few years back I employed a old bugger in the warehouse packing product he was 80 odd and had a second job driving a firewood delivery truck, and helped out at the Sally Army. Very fit, lovely man. Ran rings around some other 20 somethings we had had doing the same job prior to him!

But fuck this shit - I was a Powerball win so I can give up work and concentrate on my ...... alternative interests.

[98tls]

That's odd - I would have though he would have been given compulsory retirement at that age in that job.


A few years back I employed a old bugger in the warehouse packing product he was 80 odd and had a second job driving a firewood delivery truck, and helped out at the Sally Army. Very fit, lovely man. Ran rings around some other 20 somethings we had had doing the same job prior to him!

But fuck this shit - I was a Powerball win so I can give up work and concentrate on my ...... alternative interests.

Yea what i thought to but cant see why he would bullshit me re his age,as i said the whole deal was kinda weirds i was travelling somewhat and just didnt pick him until the lights came on so given i was fucked for all money pulled over and waited for him to get outta traffic and u turn his way back,he asked "what i was up to etc" i tell him "just been up to CH-CH to call in on my old mum etc" he asked "how old the old girl was" i reply "75"
he replys "a year younger than me blah blah blah" after a bit more yapping off he lets me go Nice bloke and got my respect as no shit i complied with the posted speed limit all the way home which is no mean feat given the (yawn) road i was on,76 jesus it doesnt make sense.

[98tls]

not full time, no.
or perhaps i should say, not gainfully employed full time.

for plenty of people, they stop working: they die.

if you have your health and enjoy what you do, why not?


...along with many of the other horseshit ideas of old-society, "age" as a demographic, is a useless one.

Yea mate i understand the part time thing my old lady at 75 is back on the 111 switchboard 2 days a week after the damage in Wellington,when she told me they had rung and asked that she do i was a bit fucked off and told her to pass but shes happy doing it so be it but full time at 76 seems harsh,mind you crusing about in a late model Commodore for good coin wouldnt probably be to bad i guess.

[Akzle]

full time at 76 seems harsh,mind you crusing about in a late model Commodore for good coin wouldnt probably be to bad i guess.

if it's voluntary, power to them.
(and it pretty much is, (or insert Ocean1: they should have saved more cos money))

being a dog doesn't exactly provide you with a divers skillset, and if he has no hobbies to go home to... maybe his wife is really ugly, who knows. but the need/want to fill your days with (social?) interaction, meaning, is well ingrained in most (old) people. (not like these ruddy layabouts now days, sitting on their interwebs and twitting all bloody day, need a damned haircut and a real job, i say!)

Many people define themselves by their employ, he's probably pretty happy being known at the pub as "the old copper"
and when he gives that up, sure he gets the awesome retirement package, maybe a plaque at the station, a hat, but that leaves him with no identity.

time and again, i've seen old folk give up work, and die (within a statistically relevant time) whereas there's plenty of old buggers still doing the slog.

[Katman]

He probably said 67 and your ears just aren't what they used to be.

[Blackbird]

Anyone else know of anyone working full time at such an age?Fwiw the bloke looked barely 65 let alone the rest.

Placemakers in Whitianga is filled with people like that. I reckon they retire to the Coromandel, get bored and start working there. Everyone wins because they know their shit and are happy to be pleasant human beings that you can have a laugh with as well as get top service.

Gotta have a fall-back if you retire. I retired at 60 so my wife and I could do stuff whilst the body was in reasonable nick. Do voluntary work with IAM which means that I can ride the bike a lot without getting grizzled at , sea fishing and travelling with my wife and setting a poor example for the grandkids. No time to get bored

[98tls]

He probably said 67 and your ears just aren't what they used to be.

Na mate as i posted he said he was a year older than my old mum,that said nothing about me is what it used to be so fair call.

[98tls]

Placemakers in Whitianga is filled with people like that. I reckon they retire to the Coromandel, get bored and start working there. Everyone wins because they know their shit and are happy to be pleasant human beings that you can have a laugh with as well as get top service.

Gotta have a fall-back if you retire. I retired at 60 so my wife and I could do stuff whilst the body was in reasonable nick. Do voluntary work with IAM which means that I can ride the bike a lot without getting grizzled at , sea fishing and travelling with my wife and setting a poor example for the grandkids. No time to get bored

Fair call,this bloke was around 20k north of Ashburton so he needs to move the difference to death and living in Ashburton wouldnt be noticeable.

[eldog]

time and again, i've seen old folk give up work, and die (within a statistically relevant time) whereas there's plenty of old buggers still doing the slog.

+1 I have see this happen a lot, most often to those who have had a stressful job, not really having a life outside of work, they suddenly retire rather than wind down and find something else. They finish work, fix up the house, garden, car, maybe move to somewhere then get bored or drop dead within 6 months.

good on these guys for working in places like placemakers, those guys have a lot of info that I have found useful. Practical stuff that if your a novice you find out the hardway etc.

the older generation have nothing to prove, but can offer a lot.

those who have had a std life and still have an interest/hobby/grandkids etc seem to live longer. Often giving up once the other half has passed on.....

[Akzle]

I think those that die soon after retirement must have enjoyed their job

it's a shift, whether you enjoyed it or not, from slaving for 50-80% of your waking hours for jewgolds, to having time to make decisions for yourself. most people haven't been bred or trained for it.

the jobs that I ended up doing prior to retirement were not that pleasant.

that doesn't surprise me at all.

[Akzle]

those who have had a std life and still have an interest/hobby/grandkids etc seem to live longer. Often giving up once the other half has passed on.....

the old joke: why do men die before their wives?



A: because they WANT to.



but yeah. seems the old whiteys don't adapt well to change later in life. a broad brush, i know, and there's plenty that live active engaged lives after the death of their partner, but just as many (more?) that just check out...

[Voltaire]

jewgold,ffst,jewgold,ffst,jewgold,ffst..... repeat year after year until dead.

[eldog]

there's plenty that live active engaged lives after the death of their partner, but just as many (more?) that just check out...

I suspect this has a lot to do with relationships and what else they are involved in.

men generally seem to loose interest, while women like to be involved in the community, family or other interests keep them active.

yes a broad brush. But one I have seen time and again with the same sector of society.

myself I find the older generation much more interesting than the younger ones. The stories, the can do attitude and the characters out can meet.