For Olga, staying engaged has always taken different forms.

Today, she combines storytelling and administration as President of Storytellers Australia SA with a very different kind of contribution: helping create opportunities for connection and stimulation in a nursing home

But perhaps one of the biggest chapters of her life was written outdoors

For more than 12 years, Olga and her husband worked on a revegetation project across 60 acres in the Adelaide Hills, restoring native vegetation and creating habitat for wildlife. It was physical, hands-on work with a long-term purpose; it’s the kind of project where you don’t necessarily see the full result for many years.

These days, her focus is increasingly about keeping minds active and connections alive. Olga runs a book group in a nursing home, bringing people together for discussion and intellectual stimulation. It can be challenging when participants have very different levels of reading ability, memory and concentration, but finding the right resources is part of the challenge – and the reward

For Olga, meaningful work now means combining physical and mental contribution: continuing to support storytelling, while offering something useful to people living in aged care.

Her perspective on getting older is refreshingly practical

“Some activities or purposes might close with age, but we can always find other new interests and purposes to immerse ourselves in, and new friends as well.”

Perhaps that’s the essence of Still Becoming: not holding on to what once was, but remaining open to what might come next.

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This is part of the GreyMatter International Day of Older Persons on 1 October campaign. Who are you becoming?

For International Day of Older Persons on 1 October, GreyMatter is asking people a simple question: Who are you becoming?

Becoming isn’t about adding more to ourselves, it can also be about letting go of the expectations. The should haves, and could ofs, or the versions of ourselves we thought we had to be, then discovering there is still so much life left to live!!

Still becoming.
#GreyMatterStudioLife

This campaign will run for the Day of Older Person and Active Ageing Week.


1. What is something new you’ve taken up, learned, or explored recently that would have surprised your younger self?
2. When you look at where you are today, what is a chapter of your life story that people might not expect just by looking at your age?
3. What is a project, passion, or goal you’re actively focused on right now, and what’s driving your excitement for it?
4. How has your definition of purpose or meaningful work shifted over time, and what keeps you feeling connected and useful today?
5. If you could share one piece of wisdom with someone worrying about getting older, what would you tell them about the value of the perspective you have now?