Meet the oldest Air Ambulance Nurse in Australia

The place where I was working back in 1996 was closing down and staff that were required, were asked to shift into the CBD of Melbourne. The position I was offered was at a lower salary than what I was receiving at the time. The thought of having to use public transport to and from the city and a lower salary for a position I wasn't really happy about virtually forced me into early retirement at the age of 54 years and 51 weeks. Why that? My financial advisor, who had been engaged to assist staff who were to be made redundant, said to go to the State Superanuation Board to collect my full entitlement before I turned 55. At 55+ one could only get up to half the entitlement to invest. The other 50% became the pension. Now what has this to do with Ms. Ryan. Having retired/retrenched, it was the hardest thing in the world to get another position in my field. I was told by several possible employers that I was too qualified (or was I a threat to their existing staff?). At some rare interviews I tried to impress upon the prospective employer, that I really wasn't looking for advancement or to displace another employee. I just wanted a job, be it even part time. After two years of this rot, I gave up and my wife and I at 72 are living happily on my investments and small Centrelink pension doing the things we want to do. Had I tried again to gain employment, say 10 years later at the age of 65, the skills I had would be a thing of the distant pass. For older people to be re-employed back into the workforce is very, very difficult. My impression is that employers don't want oldies. A lot of this idea of employing oldies is pie-in-the-sky talk. I know many retirees and not one, not one has been able to get back into the workforce today. 

Politicians aren't worth what they get paid, they should not receive their pension until they reach pension age the same as the rest of us do, isn't that why it's called a pension, most are quite capable of getting a job and mostly still young enough to be able to enter the work force, only having to work for 2 terms, which is only 6 years is hardly any time at all. To receive a pension after just about ruining the country is adding insult to injury, then making the poorest people of society pay for their incompetence is just taking things a lot to far. while they continue to put the retirement age up and everybody else will be dropping dead on the job. There comes a time in everybody's life when they can no longer physically continue to work, there also many aged related illnesses which are nobodies fault they are just part of the aging process, which doesn't happen to everybody all at the same time either. Politicians should not continue to receive the perks of the job when they retire, I can just imagine the hue and cry if employers had to continue to pay perks when everybody else retired. Then there is all the volunteer work that pensioner's do that save all governments a fortune, if people are made to work while they get older and older, eventually there will be no pensioner's to do the volunteer work that helps so many people, how much will this end up costing the government if this does happen. 

I have contacted members of parliament in the past for years now on stopping the payments and perks to past members of parliament. When we get the sack or resign, and that is what it is, we do not get paid from our employer any more. We are their employers, They are public servants as are the police and others. 

You realise that a lot of people who run for parliament get paid by us for each vote. In the States I think it is $10 per vote even if they don't get in. 

I agree with Janet. I have always believed that there should be no payments of any kind after life as a politician. When you have finished the job, no matter what it is, you no longer receive any further payments, lerk or perks. It is utterly ridiculous that politicians should continue being paid once they are no longer' in the job'. They are over paid now, so why on earth do the Australian tax payers have to keep supporting them, they have more money than us anyway. It is long overdue to stop this practice. 

How about cutting all politicians wages. Not one of them deserve the money they get. They aren't worth it. Give more to the firies, ambos police etc they work damn hard and get a lot less for the job they do. Give the money to people who deserve it. 

I agree with the comments from Janet, and would also like to add that we are over governed get rid of one tier of government, cut back on perks to retired politicians, this alone would save millions upon millions of dollars. Maybe a senior citizen with a bit more nous than me should start a federal pensioners party, we certainly have the numbers to be a force to be reckoned with. 

We should start a petition for retired pollies to stop being paid..this alone could save millions. ..then the present pollies take a wage cut... 

The reason we are in so much financial trouble in NSW and the rest of Australia is the punter voted Labor. In NSW they nothing but stead our resources and we still re-elected them. Leaving us without any infrastructure or money. As for Federal Labor they squandered the Nation’s wealth and we re-elected them. God Bless Australia and all those thousands of hot water heaters, pink bats and school sheds. 

After reading many letters to the forum, I have decided that I am , perhaps , lucky to be in my present position, as I am nearly 70 , employed as a school bus driver, and in between as a G.A at a primary school. Obviously this all keeps me on my toes, at this point of time my wife who is in her late fifties, also Has to work, our combined income is enough to survive, mainly because we have no debts, we still wish to travel, We are still in fit condition, And , no, I do not "do" exercise !! Yes, I would like to take it bit easier, but I have to keep working until my wife hits 65 -67, Isn't it wonderful that all the boat people, politicians, dole bludgers, etc get it all handed to them on a plate. Believe me when I say as a school bus driver, and see and hear what is going to rule the country in a decade or so, that you have reason to be apprehensive ! Unfortunately, so many have no respect and no discipline, future politicians perhaps ? !!