Having lived in the vicinity of Sunbury for over 40 years and the actual township for almost 25 years, you could say I am just a little bit biased about Sunbury.

For an outwardly modern and thriving community in its own right, Sunbury packs a punch. It has a lot of history and attractions. It offers the perfect balance of the charming countryside mixed with a vibrant and thriving modern township. I love the people in Sunbury. I love living in Sunbury. The best of both worlds, it’s close enough to make easy daily trips to Melbourne, but far enough away to enjoy some peace from the hustle and bustle. It could be argued that Sunbury has lost its distinct country feel with plenty of open space and a strong sense of community. I beg to differ. As far as I am concerned it’s one of the best outer metropolitan towns to live in Victoria.

We have our Rupertswood Mansion, credited as the birthplace of The Ashes. Sunbury also boasts Victoria's oldest homestead, Emu Bottom, circa 1836, which is now a tourist attraction and wedding venue. And in the 1970s, the suburb held the nationally acclaimed Sunbury Rock Festival.

One indigenous name for the area of unknown language and meaning is 'Koorakoorakup'. Sunbury was first settled in 1836, by George Evans and William Jackson. I have read, it was Jackson and his brother, Samuel, who named the township Sunbury, after Sunbury-on-Thames, in Middlesex, England when it was established in 1857.

Sunbury even has its own Earth Rings, prehistoric Aboriginal sites located on the hills to the west of Jacksons Creek in Sunbury.

But hey, what’s this got to do with Sunbury Seniors? Well, whilst we’re on the topic of the historical aspects of Sunbury, how has the role of senior citizens changed in the community and what are the new challenges faced by an ever-aging society? I feel confident no one will dispute that the percentage of senior citizens is rising rapidly and there is evidence of this in Sunbury. But let’s face it, we aren’t conditioned for 25 or even 30 years of leisure. This poses a challenge to our local community and how we adapt will affect the role of senior citizens now and for years to come.

How to occupy your time after retirement is one side of the issue, but there are other concerns as well … our challenge to keep healthy, mobile, to not be a financial or physical burden on our local community and most importantly be happy and continue to enjoy life.

Sounds daunting and is certainly challenging, but we must continue to work on developing a more positive outlook. To better understand how the role of senior citizens in our society can change for the better, it is also important to understand where we come from and where we want to be.

That’s probably enough from me for the time being. They’ll be no doubt more to come on that topic!

Whilst I have captured your attention, don’t leave this website without checking out our Calendar of Events. Maybe you have a query and/or would like to be added to our database to receive a copy of our latest Newsletter.

Similarly to the Sunbury Rock Festival in the 1970s, Sunbury Seniors is still rocking and a great place to be! Come and join us.

Playing Texas Holdem is a serious business!