I recently discovered that of Ballarat’s population of 120,000, 50% are pensioners. This comes as no surprise to me as I’m a member of the local recreation/aquatic centre.

At 61, I’m not a fully-fledged pensioner and still work 15-20 hours a week as a support worker which I love, but I am entitled to a seniors card that allows me to use the facilities of the magnificent centre for $7.60 a session.

The centre has an Olympic sized pool, a 25m pool, a gym, group exercise areas and two enormous remedial pools complete with ramps for wheelchairs and the infirm.

There is also a steam room and spa which have done nothing to alleviate my middle aged spread. Everything of course is indoor to escape the Ballarat winter.

When the group aquatic exercise session starts, both remedial pools are packed to the edges with pensioners holding those foam barbells.

It’s like some bizarre synchronised swimming event and when the instructor screams for the barbells to be shot into the air, it looks like a scene from the film ‘Triumph of the Will’ as they thrust their weights in unison.

They come in all shapes and sizes and they are just so healthy and confident. I have a friend who is Ballarat born and bred and is seventy five. Four or five times a week, ‘Syd’ jogs/walks the Steve Monaghetti Track around Lake Wendouree (11km) at 6am then swims 3km in the Olympic pool at the recreation centre.

The elderly of Ballarat are inspiring and as I found out one day, very cheeky.

The entrance to the men’s changeroom works as an entrance and exit so it can just fit two people. As I entered I saw a man in his 80’s coming out using his walker.

Instinctively I backed off and said, “SORRY SIR”, to which he replied, “THANK YOU MADAM”, and chuckled to himself.

I was caught off guard but laughed and said, “YOU CHEEKY PRICK”, but by now he was laughing so hard at his own joke he was guffawing uncontrollably in a high pitch.

Don’t mess with the elderly of Ballarat, especially smart arses with walkers!

As fit as this generation of elderly are in Ballarat, there is some work to do with the next generation and their dietary habits.

I’ve also recently discovered that Ballarat has the highest consumption of KFC per capita in Australia. That’s a real concern because there is plenty of other corporate fast food outlets available to the public already here and they’re growing.

For now though, I’ll keep plugging away in the gym and pool followed by a spa, whilst observing our own elderly version of Hitler youth go about their exercises in the remedial pool.

May these legends continue to inspire us all.