2025 International Day of Older Persons

Today, 1 October, marks International Day of Older Persons.

Wattle Place supports many people who would fit into the category of “older people”. The older people we support are truly remarkable and deserve to be honoured today.

Many of those older people experienced very traumatic and unhappy childhoods. They experienced the worst of what humans can do to each other.

Despite that, they forged ahead with their lives. Their experiences throughout life have all been very different, but they all share the incredible quality of survival.

Not only that, it is because of them telling their painful stories, often at risk of their own wellbeing, that we had inquiries, apologies were made, and some significant changes were made to ensure many of those harmful, illegal practices no longer happen.

They changed our society for the better, despite society not protecting them. They have made today’s children safer because they didn’t want other children to experience what they experienced.

Let’s take this International Day of Older Persons to take a moment to thank and honour these extraordinary Older People.