Western Weekender July 12

Page 37

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Barry Fisher

Seniors

Senior Of The Week

Volunteering to help others has many benefits.

Volunteer more: It’ll make you feel happier and healthier enrith has many wonderful volunteers and it turns out volunteering has its benefits. People who give back to the community through volunteering live longer and are healthier and happier, according to an international expert who was in Sydney this week for the 2013 Corporate Volunteering Forum. “It’s good to be good and science says it’s so,” said Professor Stephen G Post, a US-based philosopher and professor of

preventive medicine. Minister for Citizenship and Communities, Victor Dominello, who has responsibility for volunteering agrees that volunteering is more than just a ‘feel good’ exercise. “Professor Post’s fi ndings – that giving back to society can lead to happier, healthier and longer lives – demonstrate that volunteering has a tremendous ripple effect leading to many positive outcomes for the individuals who engage in it,” he said. The two million volunteers in NSW contribute more than 240 million hours.

If you’re after a laugh, Lemongrove resident Barry Fisher will give you plenty. The 81-year-old volunteers at the Penrith Senior Citizens Centre and enjoys lighting up the place with his hilarious antics. Barry used to be the president of the centre back in 2001 and is now a dedicated member of the centre’s Dance

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Club. “I used to be up in the Mountains but came down to Penrith because my dancing partner, Suzy Carswell, needed a carer because she went blind,” Barry said. “So, now I’m her carer and that’s how I keep myself busy!” Barry dances the Vogue at the centre every Wednesday afternoon.

WW3853

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NATHAN TAYLOR

| Friday, July 12, 2013

Contact Yvonne Meehan on 4735 6900. 61 Great Western Highway, Emu Plains WW673 WW673

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