For many older citizens events such as this month's Victorian Seniors' Festival offers a great chance to get out of the house, learn about helpful support programs and see the funny side of ageing.
Comedian Daryl Peebles will certainly be doing his bit to ensure locals have a laugh when he visit the Alpine Shire next week to perform at shows in Porepunkah, Mt Beauty, Bright and Myrtleford.
Mr Peebles, himself 75-years-old, is a highly awarded playwright and comedian, who earlier this year performed 'Stand Up for Seniors: But Not Necessarily on the Bus' 10 times at the 2025 Melbourne Comedy Festival.
After hearing Daryl interviewed on ABC radio about his comedy festival gig, a committee member of the Upper Kiewa Valley Regional Arts thought he would be the perfect person to help older Kiewa Valley residents find ways to laugh about their lives.
After all, isn’t laughter supposed to be the best medicine?
Daryl was promptly contacted and invited to visit and it became clear he is not only dedicated to making people laugh, but also extremely generous in his bid to do so by offering to visit Alpine Shire for a week and do as many gigs as we wanted free of cost (other than covering his return travel costs from his Tasmanian home).
Fortunately these costs are being met by Alpine Shire as part of their support for the Seniors' Festival.
A full week agenda has been planned from Monday, 20 October when he will perform at a free community lunch for 50 older residents at the Mount Beauty Neighbourhood Centre.
On Tuesday afternoon he will perform at Mount Beauty’s aged care facility Kiewa Valley House.
During the day on Wednesday, Mr Peebles will be in Bright appearing at Hawthorn Village before attending the Porepunkah Pub in the evening to help lift the spirits of locals; and on Thursday at the Savoy Club in Myrtleford for U3A and older Myrtleford residents.
Mr Peebles will also present a free talk to AGL workers based in Mount Beauty on the importance of humour at managing workplaces stress; the topic he focused on for his PhD.
The only gig to involve a $15 ticket is his performance for all Mount Beauty residents on Saturday, 25 October at the Mount Beauty Community Hall, to support the costs incurred by the Upper Kiewa Valley Committee of Arts to continue bring future new acts to the Alpine Shire.
Other Seniors' Festival events on in the Alpine Shire this week include:
- Bridging the Digital Divide through Cooking and Connection at the Mount Beauty Neighbourhood Centre.
- Bright Twilight Tastings returns to Ireland Street, from 5pm this Thursday.
- Lunch and a screening of 'Mr Burton' will be held at Riverdeck Kitchen in Bright, hosted by the Myrtleford U3A, before their Committee Meeting is held the following day at the Myrtleford Seniors Centre.
To view the full calendar of events for this year's Victorian Seniors Festival and find out how to get involved, visit: https://engage.alpineshire.vic.gov.au/community-hubs/seniors-hub