Get out your camera as the Forrest Centre once again shines a light on Wagga's older population

Australia has one of the highest life expectancies in the world at 83.3 years and overall, our senior citizens enjoy a better quality of life and suffer from fewer chronic diseases than their counterparts overseas.

But many feel invisible and forgotten in a media-saturated world that is seemingly obsessed with the myth of eternal youth.

As the Riverina’s population of over 65s continues to grow and an increasing number of retirees are opting to remain in the region, Wagga’s local and independent aged care provider, The Forrest Centre, is once again looking to ‘Shine a Light’ on older people.

The Shine a Light photographic competition kicked off in 2022, to focus on the ups and downs of getting older, and to increase the visibility of seniors in our community.

CEO Evan Robertson said last year’s publicly voted competition and exhibition in the Wagga Wagga Marketplace was a positive step towards tackling stereotypes.

“As an aged care provider, we see people’s misconceptions around ageing and older people all the time,” he said.

“We know older people are regularly overlooked and all too often, they feel invisible and underestimated – especially during these times when appearance is so highly prized, particularly by the younger generations.”

The competition invites amateur and professional photographers alike to enter photographs that celebrate ageing and older people.

Mr Robertson said ageing could bring “meaning to life” and that older people were a valuable part of the community.

Exactly who is defined as ‘old’ can be a surprisingly broad category.

“Our research shows that people define ‘old’ as anywhere from aged 50 to 90 – so in that fact alone, there’s a lot of variation,” Mr Robertson explained.

“When people talk about ’old people’ what we want them to know is that we’re really talking about a diverse group of individuals with unique interests, stories and contributions to make. And we want to see more of that represented in popular culture.”

Last year’s entries captured plenty of diversity among the chosen subjects showcasing connections to the land and the community as well as intimate portraits and relationships.

Mr Robertson said even the process of taking the photos, spending time with the subject and considering how to represent them, could be a valuable experience – particularly for younger snappers.

“We encourage photographers of all ages to get involved,” he said.

“We know the benefits of relationships formed between people of different generations and would love to see younger people interacting with the older people in their lives to capture the moment in a photograph.

The competition is open until 14 October with plenty of time to take photos and submit them online and the winners in each category will be announced in late November.

For more information about the competition, head to Forrest Centre’s home page.