I recently drove out to the NSW country town of Parkes for the annual Elvis Festival with my elderly mum and teenage daughter. In the course of the 2 days we were away, I think we visited every McDonalds restaurant between home and Parkes. Each visit cost between $20-$30 and by the end of the weekend I think the total cost was around $150. When I was growing up, like a lot of Sydney-siders, ... read more>

Australia is a nation with unique attributes to celebrate:  critters as cute as koalas, tucker as fair dinkum as vegemite and even a ridgy-didge health system. Excuse the seasonal ‘Strine but if I needed hospital treatment almost anywhere in the world I’d take my chances here. One of the advantages is the choice of public or private hospitals and while that’s not unique the way we pay for... read more>

Many people, not just older demographics, like to go into a store and personally speak to someone about their account. This could be for a number of reasons; sometimes it can be difficult to understand the person on the other end of the phone if they are in an offshore call centre; some older people are not tech savvy; or maybe you just want something explained to you in person. With many telco... read more>

I have two teenage sons. They have very different personalities. One is happy to wear department store clothing, the other likes designer brands. One is a clean freak, the other is messy. One eats well while the other eats rubbish most of the time. One has bought himself a car, a bomb that cost $1900. The other son bought his first car this week at a cost of $4500, complete with spoiler, mags a... read more>

We’ve all heard the stories of twins who share experiences. They can be separated by miles and still think and feel the same thing at the same time. So it is with Frank and Keith Pearce. Born in Birmingham in 1936, the boys knew trauma from a young age. They lost their mother when they were just 7 months old. Keith says they have no recollection of her and their father was sent away to war s... read more>