There is often talk of a cult of youth. But it might be time to change the focus. Sunday is the International Day for Older Persons and as it approached we here at the ACM network began a project to document some of the unsung older people in our communities.
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"Our Precious Things" was primarily a photographic project, but with the subjects of the photographs talking about themselves and about an object that has particular value to them: an object like a pocket watch a boy received from his father or an eisteddfod badge won by someone's mother many decades ago.
What emerged in the project was the depth of wisdom in many of these elders.
This should not have been a surprise. People in their 80s, 90s and even past the great century milestone have seen it all: wars, floods, droughts, fire, births, marriages and deaths.
They have learnt what the young and fearless will no doubt learn in their time. They already have the experience.
Ronald Regan put it well when he was in his 70s and standing for president against a much younger Walter Mondale in the 1984 election. "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience," the oldster joked to great political effect.
And we should remember that the old have often served the young very well. Winston Churchill became prime minister when he was 65, and his leadership was instrumental in making a better world for all of us after 1945.
The point is not to favour one over the other. The best way is to seek the best person for the job - and that includes older people. When enthusiastic youngsters come up with daft ideas, the older person in the room can say: "We tried that and it didn't quite work but here's a way it might."
We are against racism and sexism. We should be against ageism too.
When it comes to the workplace, capability is the criterion on which employees should be judged. Age is sometimes a factor in that but it is not the cause. Ageing football players don't get dropped from a team because they are too old. They get dropped because they are slower.
And as we see from the best sides in the Rugby World Cup (Australia not included) some ageing, tiring legs are more than compensated for by the ageing heads above which are calmer and more astute.
There is a marvellous organisation in Britain, which Australia would do well to emulate. Now Teach helps older people retrain as teachers. The idea is that people who have had careers in one section of the economy, and who think they ought to retire because that's what's expected of them, could use their wisdom in classrooms.
A thriving economy needs all the skill it can get, and that includes the skills built up over a lifetime. To discard the experience of those towards the end of their careers is to discard an asset.
We learnt from the people in our photographic project that ordinary people have extraordinary stories to tell - and very useful lives to live.
Take the case of 82-year-old John Griffiths in Tamworth. He continues to repair musical instruments for students in the area. He reckons that 500 trumpets, tubas, trombones and the like have passed through his hands.
Or think of Joy Dusk Veage in her 90s (her sister's middle name is Dawn). She stopped playing competitive tennis last year because the running got too hard - but that hasn't stopped her. "I still get out in the garden every day," she said. "There's always something to do."
It's a good motto - for young and old.
