WA seniors set to celebrate

This year’s WA Seniors Week program is jam-packed with free and low-cost events.

There’s something for absolutely everyone – from concerts and croquet to fun bus trips, high teas, expos and information sessions.

And it’s not only seniors who are encouraged to join in the fun. A host of intergenerational activities are planned so that every member of the family can join in.

Always a highlight is the WA Seniors Awards presentation, which will see WA’s Senior of the Year named and awards presented in a number of categories.

For more information on all that’s on offer, contact COTA WA on (08) 9472-0104.

GRANDPARENTS are such wonderful people – they’re the link between generations; and relationships forged between grandparents and grandchildren are often very special.

To celebrate this relationship and the important role seniors play in the lives of children and families, Playgroup WA will again hold its annual Bring a Grandparent to Playgroup Week from October 30-November 5.

Playgroup WA says the week is a time to celebrate the meaning of family and to make the most of family life.

“Let’s take time to reflect on the critical role that seniors play in teaching, supporting and nurturing children, especially as they grow,” the group’s website says.

Activities during the week include:

Families are also encouraged to use the week as a time to connect with and celebrate extended families by talking about what makes families strong and the important role older people play.

Bring a Grandparent to Playgroup Week began in 2010 as part of Playgroup WA’s intergenerational playgroup program.

Intergenerational playgroups come in many guises, from regular playgroups where grandparents visit with their grandchildren to those in nursing homes.

THE oven gloves are off and the whisks are poised as family cooks go head to head in the state’s leading bake-off.

Not-for-profit aged care and retirement living provider Bethanie is again hosting its Big Bethanie Bake Off in search of WA’s best family recipes and cooks.

The annual cooking competition aimed at closing the intergenerational gap will culminate in a live bake-off at Have a Go Day at Burswood Park on November 1.

To take part, schoolchildren, Bethanie residents and seniors have to submit their family recipes online.

The children are asked to research their grandparents’ background and discover their favourite recipe and then recreate the dish – with the aid of a grandparent – for a chance to get a spot in the finals.

Entries were judged on the creativity of the dish, its nutritional value, complexity and the story behind it.

Joshua Wenz, the winner of last year’s Best Kid recipe, who went on to become the overall champion, said being accepted into the bake-off was an amazing experience because he could show what he learned from watching his family cook.

“It was great to impress the judges with my family’s recipes that are not found in cook books, but have been passed down through the generations,” said Joshua, a student at Whitfords Catholic Primary School.

At the live bake off four WA seniors will go head to head against four students.