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To scooter, or not to scooter?

<p><em><strong><img width="117" height="100" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/41006/julie-g-aka-barbara-bindland_117x100.jpg" alt="Julie G Aka Barbara Bindland (5)" style="float: left;"/>Barbara Binland is the pen name of a senior, Julie Grenness, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is a poet, writer, and part-time English and Maths tutor, with over 40 years of experience. Her many books are available on Amazon and Kindle.</strong></em></p> <p>So, as a senior citizen, you have finally hung up your car keys, for whatever reason. That is part of our ageing journey, one day no longer being able to drive a motor car again.</p> <p>What’s next? Well, the senior citizen, over-60, golden oldie, can decide to purchase an electric mobility scooter. These provide both transportation and independence to anyone with limited mobility. Scooters are a great invention, assisting their owners in performing everyday tasks, such as shopping, or running errands. Electric mobility scooters are the safest way of travelling currently in Australia, even safer than walking on a footpath!</p> <p>There is a variety of styles of scooters available, at a variety of prices. In Australia, the costs range from $1,400 to $8,000, depending on style, number of wheels, length of battery life, and manoeuvrability, as well as number of wheels. They have a warranty, you can have a home demonstration for a test drive, and can even have lessons!</p> <p>Here are some questions to consider before purchasing:</p> <ol> <li>What and how far do you intend to travel?</li> <li>Are you only planning to use your scooter locally, or do you wish to use it on trips?</li> <li>Are there tight corners where you wish to travel?</li> <li>Where will you store your scooter?</li> <li>Do you wish to carry luggage or bags with you?</li> <li>Have you considered the cost of insurance for your scooter?</li> <li>Is your vision okay at normal walking speed?</li> </ol> <p>Overall, electric mobility scooters are easy to operate, travel at a modest speed, and are a safe and stable mode of transport, as they are designed low to the ground. If you have a disability, or issues with walking, a power scooter helps you get around and provides you with independence. With a variety of styles available, you can find one that suits your needs, and looks good too.</p> <p>Finally, here is a little verse about greys on scooters to lighten your day…</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span></p> <p align="center"><strong>FREEWHEELING!</strong></p> <p align="center">What a lovely day,</p> <p align="center">Look, here come the greys!</p> <p align="center">Freewheeling today,</p> <p align="center">On their scooters again…</p> <p align="center">Skateboarding teens, yah!</p> <p align="center">Look out, kids, you’re in the way!</p> <p align="center">Greys toot and wave,</p> <p align="center">Freewheeling today,</p> <p align="center">There go the greys!</p> <p align="center">Have a fun grey day!</p> <p align="center">Cheers from one of the greys!</p> <p>Do you use a scooter? How do you find it? Let us know in the comments below. </p>

Caring

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Last selfless act on behalf of teen killed on e-scooter

<p>After their 13-year-old son was tragically killed in an e-scooter accident on Saturday, Calym Gilbert's heartbroken parents are making sure his legacy lives on. </p> <p>The young teenager and his friend were riding the e-scooters in Perth when they collided with a Ford Ranger at an intersection, "ejecting" both boys from the scooters and leaving them seriously injured. </p> <p>Calym's life-threatening injuries saw him places on life-support, with his parents making the devastating decision to turn off the machines on Wednesday, with Calym passing away a short time later. </p> <p>According to 7News, his parents have decided to donate their son's organs, allowing the teenager to "leave behind a legacy", by giving six other people a second chance at life. </p> <p>Ever since the incident, Calym's father has issued a plea for others to be careful on the road. </p> <p>"Wear a helmet," he told 7News.</p> <p>"He is our baby boy, the love of my life, ripped from us so suddenly and way too soon," his heartbroken mum added.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-calym-gilbert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> page has been set up by Calym's relatives to ease any financial "worry" in the wake of the boy's untimely death, with generous supporters already donating over $8,000 to the grieving family. </p> <p>"Calym had a gentle soul and would do anything to help all of those around him. Calym was full of life and love - his internal light filled any room and left a lasting impression on all those that knew him," the page says.</p> <p><em>Image credits: GoFundMe</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Teenagers rescue 90-year-old man from six-metre sinkhole

<p>Just two days before Christmas Alwyne Watkins was driving his mobility scooter through an oval at Wallsend in the NSW Hunter region when the ground opened up beneath him. There was no time to think and if it wasn’t for a group of quick-thinking teenagers who saved him, Alwyne is certain what fate would have befallen him.</p> <p>“I wouldn’t be here,” the 90-year-old said.</p> <p>“They saved my life. The four of them are heroes in my eyes.”</p> <p>Jackson Rickford, Michael Zechel and Elijah Startin, 16 and 17 years of age, were playing soccer when they saw Alwyne approach. He stopped in a middle of path and then seemed to vanish.</p> <p>“I sprinted over and jumped the fence because I thought he’d had a fall,” said Michael. </p> <p>“Then I looked under my feet and I could see all the way down. It scared the hell out of me.”</p> <p><img width="459" height="258" src="http://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/xeqZeRWbggz2D8A9GTEsMK/e9f5796f-6432-4f30-9576-91e449ae300d.jpg/r0_195_4872_2934_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg" alt="Mr Watkins stands next to the sinkhole that swallowed his mobility scooter. Photo: Simone De Peak" class="story-image__image" style="opacity: 1; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Alwyne has been swallowed by a six-metre sinkhole. Luckily, the scooter had wedged him close to the surface and Michael managed to lift the scooter and pull Alwyne to stable ground.</p> <p>The boys called triple-0 and Alwyne was taken to the nearby hospital. Luckily, injuries were minor and only needed a few stitches.</p> <p>“All I knew was that I was driving, and the next moment my head was level with the ground,” Alwyne recalled.</p> <p>His damaged scooter was replaced by a new one for free by a local mobility scooter business.</p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/mind/2016/01/worlds-happiest-countries-in-2015/">These are the happiest countries in the world</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/mind/2016/01/older-generation-better-at-learning/">Older generations better at learning than everyone else</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/mind/2016/01/tips-for-being-a-good-person-today/">8 ways to be a good person today</a></em></strong></span></p>

News

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Man fined $71 for riding push scooter through Sydney tunnel

<p><em><span class="irc_ho">Image credit: www.dailymail.co.uk</span></em></p> <p>A man who was filmed riding a scooter through Sydney’s busy Cross City Tunnel has been hit with a $71 after turning himself into Surry Hills police.</p> <p>The 42-year-old pushed his way through the tunnel yesterday about 3:30pm, much to the shock and frustration of surrounding drivers. The footage filmed by a passenger in a nearby vechile shows the smartly dressed man travelling in the tunnel's left lane with little sense of urgency.</p> <p>A spokesman for the Cross City Tunnel said the man forced several cars in the tunnel to slow down behind him, prompting warnings from staff.</p> <p>By the time road crews had arrived, the man had already left the area.</p> <p>Under NSW law, all foot scooters, skateboards and rollerblades are illegal to use on roads with speeds greater than 50 kilometres per hour or on any one-way road with more than one marked lane.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/01/man-gives-shivering-stranger-the-shirt-off-his-back/">Man gives shivering stranger the shirt off his back</a></strong></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/01/eat-like-an-okinawan-and-live-until-100/">Eat like an Okinawan and live until you’re 100</a></strong></span></em></p> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/body/2015/11/best-outdoor-exercise-options/">The best ways to exercise outdoors</a></strong></span></em></p>

News