Journalist and television presenter Lisa Wilkinson, hosted a book launch last night to celebrate the official launch of positive ageing advocate Marcus Riley’s book, Booming: A life-changing philosophy for ageing well.

 

Fittingly held at Berkleouw Books in Sydney’s Paddington, Lisa welcomed guests and highlighted the need to approach the second half of life with gratitude and joy.

 

“As we get older, we want to be challenged and to feel like we are continuing to grow. When we look at previous generations, when I look at my mum’s life, when she was the age that I am now, I think of a really, sadly, a very closed in life. As more and more of us realise what is possible in our later years it is something that you embrace with incredible joy and enormous gratitude. And the good news is, the truth is, we are all ageing! That’s good news, right? Everybody’s ageing at exactly the same rate," said Lisa.

 

Lisa stressed the importance of having good role models to look up to that are living life as Marcus’ book encapsulates, that is, living their extended years with joy, passion and purpose.

 

"There are so many wonderful role models out there, for all of us, for how to live a fabulous life beyond 50. Personally, I look at someone like Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren - I mean, there are so many incredible women who are just living lives of even more purpose, even more meaning, even more joy, even more comfort in their in own skin than we’ve ever seen before," said Lisa.

 

Booming is the result of Marcus’ 20-plus years’ experience in the ageing industry, he advocates that by embracing positivity, planning how you want to live the rest of your life and understanding the need for purpose, we can all age successfully.

“My book is the result of my many years involvement in the world of ageing and I believe, that when it comes to ageing, people have a choice. People can accept the negativity that abounds about getting older, concede that they will decline and wither on the vine. Or we can choose to seize the opportunity to revel in our extended later years with joy, passion and wisdom,” said Riley. ‘I hope that my book encourages people to do just that and engage in healthy ageing,” he added.

 

Riley’s novel sheds light on the challenges and delights (too many to mention!) of being an older person, and in doing so, helps provide a blueprint for successful ageing.

 

About the Author - Marcus Riley

From an early age, Riley has always had a passion for older people and an interest in aged services. Riley studied business management and has worked in the aged-care industry for the past two decades, providing leadership and influence on local, national and global levels.

 

Riley is the immediate past chair and current Director of the Global Ageing Network and a member of the Steering Committee for the Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People (GAROP). He is also the Focal Point for the Stakeholder Group on Ageing (an agency of the United Nations) for the Asia-Pacific region.

 

Riley is Chief Executive Officer of BallyCara, a charitable organisation and public benevolent institution which provides accommodation, health, and care services for older people as well as a range of support and advisory functions to service-based industries.

 

Booming: A Life Changing Philosophy for Ageing Well (RRP $32.99) is available now at Dymocks, Harry Hartog, Booktopia, Book Depository and all other good bookstores.