Power of experience: Australians over 50 shaping the world

Written by Cameron Bayley, Pip Harry, Carolyn Hiblen, Julie Lee and Bridget Ross for Australian Seniors

This special feature spotlights the remarkable people who are innovating, giving back or redefining what’s possible at this stage of life. We all know experience matters, so we’re spotlighting leaders in their fields to find out how they are drawing on their extensive knowledge to continue to make a difference across music, health, science, community, education, art, philanthropy and advocacy.

Jon Stevens, 64

When you’ve been songwriting for as long as Jon Stevens has, inspiration can strike anywhere, anytime. “Things just fall out of the sky,” says the New Zealand-born rocker, who became an Australian citizen in 2000 after nearly 20 years at the forefront of our music scene.

“They just come at you – inspiration, observations. It’s a hard thing to quantify, because musicians, we’re sort of blow-with-the-wind. We’re dreamers and we’re optimists,” he says. “I’m the eternal optimist. Songwriting is always from that perspective: real life, optimism, love and other bruises.”

Just 15 when his father died, Jon found himself pretty much out on his own, “independent, working”. A struggling musician since the age of 16, he’ll celebrate his 65th birthday in October. And, boy, has he learnt a lot in that time.

“Experience tells me, ‘Don’t get complacent,’” he says. “Don’t ever think that you’re awesome. I never think that; I’m always trying to be better. I’m trying to be a better father, a better partner, better at everything.”

As the lead singer of Noiseworks from 1986 to 1992 and INXS from 2000 to 2003 – replacing late frontman Michael Hutchence – through to his own successful solo career, Jon has been entertaining us for more than four decades. It’s a tough industry, he acknowledges, but life is tough and he revels in his ability to provide escapism for his fans. More than anything, he’s just grateful to still be working.

“I’m really, really grateful to still be doing this thing that I love, that I’m passionate about. That I’ve spent my whole life being and doing. It will never stop. It’ll stop when I take my last breath, or I can’t do it anymore, but I’m still as passionate and as excited about it as I’ve always been. Although I have a lot more knowledge now.”

Jon knows better than most just how fleeting life can be. In 2009, he suffered “the ultimate wake-up call”. After a routine check-up and subsequent MRI, he received the kind of life-changing phone call no-one ever wants. With a fully blocked left artery, he was told to get to hospital immediately, before he dropped dead. Whisked into open heart surgery, he spent a month recovering in hospital. But he was alive.

“My life’s changed a lot since then,” he reflects. “I’m lucky to be here. My time’s not over yet, so I’m doing the thing that I was put on this planet for.”

With the hindsight of experience in his back pocket, he’s learnt not to get swept up in the blame game of it all, having grown from past mistakes.

“The blame game is a trap, and it’s an easy one to do when you go through a hard time. So, you just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and have another crack, because that’s life,” he says. “If you get caught up in the whys and the wherefores and you don’t learn from your mistakes or somebody else’s mistake that has affected you, then you’re not really growing.”

Still, he says, he’s just getting better with age – musically, at least.

“I still sing everything in the same key from when I was 20. I sing way better now than I did in my 20s and in my 30s, way better. Because, I think, that mental thing is gone. I’ve sung through so much adversity – from having pneumonia on stage, bronchitis, flus, everything you can imagine, even my heart.

“I don’t need to prove anything to other people. My life is not run by other people’s opinions. I don’t behave like a dickhead – I’m too old for that. If I don’t get up on stage and go hard, then what’s the point? I don’t do anything halfway: it’s all or nothing. And if I have a heart attack and fall over up there, just know, what a way to go!”

Anne Burgess, 81

Witnessing first-hand the stigma surrounding people living with mental illness as a social worker in the 1960s set Anne on the path to becoming an anti-ageism advocate later in life. As Equal Opportunity Commissioner in 2011, her eyes were opened to “discrimination in all its faces”.

“At that time, it was so hard to prosecute any sort of complaint against ageism, and yet we saw it all around us,” she says. “Employers are smart enough that they don’t say, ‘We’re not going to employ you because you’re too old.’ But they say things like, ‘We need people who are really tech savvy.’”

Today she is chair of the Aged Care Council of Elders, with a direct voice to government, and sits on many other high-profile councils and boards. If experience has taught Anne anything, it’s that we need more older people in the workforce.

“I hear so often that you get to a certain age and then you become invisible. When you’ve been around a long time, like I have, you’ve been through a few things, so you can draw on that knowledge and the experience. Sometimes that’s all people need to feel like they’re not the only one that’s ever been through this.”

Related: Mary Coustas shares her mental health story

Professor Brian Schmidt, 59

Winning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011 opened up “lots of opportunities” for the revered astronomer, who has been a distinguished professor at the Australian National University for the past 16 years, based at the Mt Stromlo Observatory. But it also added “a lot of complication”. “It’s a real honour, but it is definitely one of those things that comes with pluses and minuses. It really disrupts your life,” Professor Schmidt says.

Among the positives is the opportunity to connect with and share his vast knowledge with “just about anything and everyone in the world,” he says. “I’ve got this chance to see the world from many, many different angles, both within science, but also outside of science. That’s a privileged place to be able to, hopefully, tie things up in a way which others don’t get the opportunity.”

With a wealth of experience and a top accolade under his belt, the professor says it amounts to no longer feeling the need to prove himself. “I have almost nothing that I want to prove to the rest of the world. I’m very much centred on making sure I live against my set of values every day.”

Be Ha, 75

Time is flying, explains Be, when she reflects on the span between 1979 when she arrived in Australia as a 29-year-old refugee from Vietnam until the present day. “I was very young,” she says. “Now? Too old!”

If the intervening years seem a blur, it’s only because Be has packed so much in. Only three years after reaching Australian shores she set up the Springvale Indochinese Mutual Assistance Association (SICMAA) to support those from the region, from her new home of Melbourne. “When I first came here, the people already opened their arms, their hearts, to welcome us,” she explains. “So when we settled down we had to pay back to the community as much as we could.”

More than 40 years later, the organisation provides many services to those from South-East Asia, from English classes to support for domestic violence. “There were times when we thought we would have to close down,” she says. “But the spirit of ‘never say die’ of the refugee/migrant kept us going.”

Resilience is one of the big things she’s learnt. “People, even in their hardship, they never give up. When they make a mistake, they stand up and try again. So that, I learnt from them.”

Paul Grabowsky, 67

It might be a stretch to claim experience has brought the multiple ARIA-winner, who is one of Australia’s best-known pianists and composers, inner peace as a musician, but he has definitely found balance. “Part of getting to this point in life means you’re less crippled by doubt or anxiety,” Paul says.

He has collaborated with the likes of Vince Jones, Paul Kelly and Kate Ceberano, and performed everywhere from the Sydney Opera House to the Pompeii Amphitheatre in Italy. He’s also the executive director of Monash University Performing Arts Centres. And as his career has evolved, so has his approach to music. “I describe my relationship with the piano as a love-hate relationship – the piano was always like looking in a mirror for me. It was always telling me you’ve got to work harder.”

Experience has also taught Paul not to fear failure. “There is no success without failure. We have to embrace our failures because it’s by failing that we learn.”

Related: John Wood on his battle with rheumatoid arthritis and his career in the entertainment industry

Kristine Simeon, 71

It takes a special kind of person to dedicate their days to fighting for justice for others, but that’s exactly what Kristine is doing. For the past three years, she has been tirelessly advocating for people with cognitive challenges, helping them navigate the court system, thanks to her role with the Justice Advocacy Service, through the Intellectual Disability Rights Service.

One of just a handful of volunteers in the Forster and Tuncurry region on the Mid North Coast of NSW, she was named 2025 NSW Senior Volunteer of the Year for her service, at a gala ceremony last December sponsored by Australian Seniors.

Kristine found her calling after supporting a family member through the “ordeal” of being caught up in the justice system. Though she has no legal background, Kristine’s strong sense of justice and compassion has seen her flourish.

“It took about two-and-a-half years to get it sorted, because our justice system is broken,” she says. “During that time, I learnt a lot about how the courts operate. I saw so many people that were struggling to understand the system and get through it, and they had no support whatsoever.”

Attending court two to three times a week, Kristine meets people from all walks of life. And experience has taught her that you should never judge a book by its cover. “Never judge another person, because you don’t know what their story is. I see so many great stories of people being given a second chance, particularly with the support of the Justice Advocacy Service.”

Tania de Jong, 50+

Known for her stunning soprano voice, Tania was once told she shouldn’t bother singing professionally. In a career-defining move, she ignored that advice and wound up performing to rapt global audiences.

“Never let anyone be a catcher of your dreams,” Tania says. “Experience has taught me that rejection often reflects someone else’s limitation, not your own potential. If we believe in ourselves and work hard, we can achieve just about anything!”

Today, Melbourne-based Tania moves between Flinders, Byron Bay and France, and along with performing is renowned as an award-winning social entrepreneur, inspirational speaker and philanthropist. She has founded six businesses and four charities that help others find their voice, including Mind Medicine Australia and Creativity Australia.

“My ultimate mission in life is to help people reach their full creative potential. When you have reclaimed your voice, built organisations, and seen tangible change in communities, there is a greater sense of belonging and a joy in helping others. I simply serve where I can make the greatest difference and be surrounded by those I love and respect.”

Philip Bacon, 79

When he first opened Philip Bacon Galleries in Brisbane – today one of Australia’s leading art dealerships – Philip bet everything on his dream, using rented premises and loaned cash.

“I’d been a full-time gallery assistant for around four years and thought I was pretty au fait with the business of art dealing,” he says. “When I opened my own gallery in 1974, I soon discovered how little I knew. My ‘experience’ wasn’t nearly extensive enough!”

Known for generous philanthropy and mentoring, Philip has since steered the early careers of some of Australia’s best-known artists, gaining their trust. “It’s complicated, the art world. The artists are such wonderful people – clever, creative – but often so vulnerable and unsure of their path. They can take a lot of managing. Sometimes you feel more like a counsellor than an art dealer.”

Philip knows how to play the long game. “A major lesson I learnt early on was not to rush to judgement. Time is the great leveller and art is a long-distance race, not a sprint.” He’s also learnt the arts matter. “I now really believe it’s a fundamental need for humanity. Art and artists contribute so much to society.”

Professor Richard Scolyer, 59*

After a lifetime devoted to improving other people’s survival rates, Professor Scolyer did not expect to be quietly defying his own. Given an incurable brain cancer diagnosis in 2023 and a life expectancy of “about a year for people his age”, the melanoma research pioneer became both patient and scientist in world-first experimental immunotherapy, which involved his own medicine. The one-man trial staved off the disease for almost two years, before it returned last year.

“I thought of it as a no-brainer,” he says. “We’re not just clinical doctors, we also have amazing opportunities as forerunners of change, and we’ve done many cancer research trials that end up making a difference. So the idea of going down that route – it just makes perfect sense.”

He was 2024 Australian of the Year – alongside his colleague Professor Georgina Long – and well before his own diagnosis, his landmark work in cancer research was already reshaping outcomes.

Yet, his main pride is in the courage he hopes others might draw from his story. “I don’t find it that challenging to be open and honest with what’s happened with my life. I hope it makes it easier for the next generation of people, especially if they’re going through something similar.”

*Sadly, Professor Scolyer died a few months after doing this interview. We would like to send our deepest condolences to his friends and family.

Related: Barry DuBois on embracing resilience through cancer

Dr Roma Yibiyung Winmar, 81

The Noongar elder affectionately known by many as “Nan Roma” was honoured this year with a Member of the Order of Australia, recognised for her service to the Indigenous communities of Western Australia, to the arts, and to education. She has been working at Edith Cowan University as Elder-in-Residence since 2020, promoting and supporting Aboriginal culture and, in particular, Noongar language.

It’s a role in which she gets to flex her rich experience. “I have been around for a while. I have lived through many changing policies affecting our people’s journey.

“My family fought for the right of mainstream education. I have been involved with education for many years and have been privileged to gain the right to teach our local Noongar language,” she recently said.

Learning the Aboriginal language was something she had to experience. “Language is something that’s in your genes. You’re born to it, you hear it and it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away from it, if somebody starts talking, you can feel a sort of growth inside you,” she has said, pointing out that she was only taught Australian English in school. “I’d heard [the Noongar language] but never spoke it. I was discouraged from speaking it.

“Then, when I was teaching in Perth, a flyer came around saying ‘If anyone’s interested in Noongar languages or Indigenous languages we’re having workshops.’ And in saying the words and actually speaking sentences, it was like a regrowth inside.”

She is also passionate about sharing her experience with Noongar language and culture. As she told a University of Sydney Power Institute discussion on the Noongar Ways of Being: “We are pulling back the layers of history to uncover our past journeys that have led us to this place.

“As we expose our history we can journey together as one and make a better future for us all. I’ve had leaders before me and what I’m trying to do is build on the foundations they’ve made.”

Professor Henry Brodaty, 78

The list of accolades earned by Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty, co-director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) at the University of NSW, is beyond extensive, but he is particularly touched by one of his most recent: 2026 Senior Australian of the Year. “I was thrilled,” he says. “It’s a really top award to have.”

The honour acknowledges his pioneering work in dementia diagnosis, treatment and prevention, and his move into this area came from a heartbreaking time in his life. His father was diagnosed with dementia in 1972 at the age of just 52 and passed away seven years later. “I realised there wasn’t much happening to support people with dementia. I had heard about another self-help group for people with mental illness and I thought that we could do this for dementia,” he says.

“When my father died it was pretty devastating for me, I was very close with him. But in a way, this is not an area I would’ve gotten into without his illness, so it was sort of a gift to me, from him.”

Along with Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev, he established CHeBA in 2012. From there it has grown to around 60 academics and researchers investigating dementia and age-related brain health issues. He also ran the Maintain Your Brain trial, a three-year project with more than 6,000 participants, which found definitive ways to combat cognitive decline.

Looking back, he has huge fondness for this career that almost happened by accident. “I think this has suited me. I like working with older people. I trained as a specialist physician before I trained as a psychiatrist, and I love old-age psychiatry because it brings together the medical, the social, the psychiatric, the policy, the research. I love the complexity and the challenges that it provides.”

It’s proof, he says, that setbacks and challenges can sometimes be an opportunity beyond the stress. “Many people have turned their experiences into ways to help others. Helping others is so rewarding.”

If you want to discover more Australians making a difference, check out our Fifty over 50 list!