This weekend marked a significant birthday for me – I turned 59! In just a year, I’ll be eligible to access my superannuation pension. I’m fortunate to have a defined benefit scheme, meaning I’ll receive a percentage of my final salary for life, fully indexed every six months. It’s a fantastic way to retire, a relic from the days when early retirement was encouraged.
These days, financial pressures often force people to work longer. While I love my job and enjoy working, my recent health challenges – an amputation just a year ago – have made me think more seriously about retirement.
Some friends thought I returned to work too quickly after my surgery. It was only four months later, and even then, it was just three days a week. Being an amputee is physically demanding in ways I hadn’t anticipated. I have to move more slowly, be more aware of my surroundings, and it’s tiring. I’ve since increased to four days a week, with Fridays usually spent working from home. Some weeks are fine, others feel a bit too much.
In my amputee support group, I’ve found that the return-to-work timelines vary drastically depending on individual circumstances, the nature of the job, and physical capabilities.
Birthday Celebrations and Musings
I celebrated my birthday with friends at the local Paddo RSL Club yesterday and later had drinks with a former partner and his wife at a bar in Netown, Ante. It was a lovely day, filled with well wishes via various platforms. It made me realize – jokingly – how much easier birthdays were in the days of cards – no instant response expected! I tried my best to reply to everyone, though some messages had to wait until today.
A Pleasant Discovery
Today, I had lunch at a restaurant I used to frequent years ago, “Thai Pothong” in Newtown. They had a fantastic feature: menus on iPads! You could zoom in and out, making it so much easier to read. A brilliant innovation, especially for those of us with aging eyes!
A Dream Milestone
Interestingly, I had my first dream the other night where I was consciously aware of my amputation. I was at a swimming pool, navigating around people near the wall, something I often do for stability. One of the people I was trying to get around also had an amputation and a prosthetic limb. We started chatting in the dream. It was a strange but significant milestone for me.
How did I miss your forthcoming birthday.
Blessed are we who have defined benefit super, rather than performance based super. Some of my workmates took the cheap bribe to change, but I did not and I am a winner.
I vaguely remember being told the scheme was “old fashioned” and that I should “upgrade” to the new scheme. I think I forgot to reply to that email.
If it wasn’t for my defined benefit scheme having the invalidity retirement pension as an insurance component I would now be homeless with no income to support myself.
Thanks for the reassuring tip. I am feeling slightly lucky that due to age I was around to qualify for this scheme, and before that to have been in the window for free university education.