The year of the baby boomer

Is this the year for all the boomers? It is 2024, when the last phase of ‘our’ generation become seniors, turning 60 years old. They were the greys born in 1964, and may also take their time to really retire, as some of us oldies have.

We older level of boomers were all born after 1946, so these babes and dudes are in their seventies or late sixties. We were a booming bulge in the birth rates then, all baby borns. Now we are known as ‘Okay boomers!” by the younger ones of today.

We label the younger ones as Gen X. or Gen Z, or the MIllenials. We were a phase in the 20th Century, now seniors, or getting there. We might soon knock off our basic strong work ethic, saying, “Okay, now we can all go fishing!”

The younger generations are all welcome to the global developments we contributed, constructed, or invented along our journey to being grey. We grew up in a different world, inventing our own games, playing in the big back yard, or with our pals in the neighbourhood. We were summoned indoors for our evening meal by no ever present phone, only the street light turning on, and the familiar aroma of sizzling chops or sausages.

Puddings were only to be eaten when our main meal plate was empty, good manners were expected. We sat at a laminex or wooden table, we helped wash and dry the dishes. Once the old style black and white television became the new stranger in the lounge room, it could then be switched on by my older sister, with no remote control.

That was an invention of our youth, living in Australia. If we sat too close to the television, our mothers would threaten us with developing square eyes. I am pleased to relate we never grew up, with rectangles for eyesight. Okay, boomers, it is no wonder we have a sense of humour, and made our developed society lots of good ideas.

Disneyland was our personal childhood favourite. We all wanted to reach Fantasy Land one day, to finally meet Tinkerbelle, or Prince Charming. Some did, some didn’t. The stranger in the lounge room did later take over many households. It generated its brother, the computer, then the laptop, and then their distant cousin, the mobile phone, which all assist in our digital networks, invented by our generation in Silicon Valley.

Yes, we helped invent all this stuff, so make your own fun we tell the young ones. It is your turn to evolve communication. Guess everyone in society should aim to avoid generalisations. Some might regard retirees as having a lot of cash to splash. But certain seniors are struggling in total poverty. That currently is affecting many levels of our developed world, including seniors.

Fundamentally, all our tomorrows are a mystery, a fleeting moment in Australia’s flow of time. We can all say the baggage of yesterday is now history, and there is no turning back. But sometimes it is good to reflect how we survived and thrived. Not one of us can peer into a crystal ball and predict the future ahead for any generation.

Seniors of our age were brought up by our parents who mainly worked hard, once they had fought long and hard for our treasured equitable democracy. Our fathers arrived home from overseas, to meet a girl and fall in love, creating peace, growing gardens, supporting their families. They gave us freedom, which we must cherish.

We regarded ourselves as the ‘good guys and gals’, protesting for peace. Our parents did not really understand the changing times, the era of the sixties and early seventies. There were some family misunderstandings about some of our new norms.

Welcome to the world awakening, any children born this year and beyond. The boomers are part of the history of the human race. This year could be the year of the boomer dudes and babes, or it might be the start of the end of a phase, if we start to fade away. Okay boomers, do not give up the ghost, not now or ever. Okay, boomers, keep our good sense of humour!