Ageing with Pride & Resilience – A Bendigo Seniors Festival panel discussion

Date & Time: Thu 23rd Oct, 2pm - 4pm
Location: Bendigo Health Concert Hall, 100 Barnard Street (Access via Mercy Street), Bendigo
Presented by: Thorne Harbour Country, with the support of Bendigo Health

Cost: Free to attend, registration required

As regional aged care and mental health services prepare to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse ageing population, it’s vital that staff feel confident and equipped to deliver inclusive care.

This event will feature LGBT aged care specialists and peer workers sharing lived experiences and sector expertise. The discussion will focus on practical strategies you can take back to your workplace, including:

Supporting clients and residents through isolation, dementia, and disclosure
Responding respectfully to sexuality and intimacy
Strengthening LGBT cultural safety within aged care and mental health services
Practical actions and service improvement

Who should attend: Aged care workers, nurses, mental health professionals, managers, policy makers, and anyone committed to improving inclusive service delivery.

Cost: Free

Registration required

Panelists include:

Di Connors

Di Connors is an ageing LGBTIQA+ community member. Di has worked in the Health, Aged Care, Disability, and Education sectors, and is currently the Community Volunteers & Diversity Engagement Coordinator at Central Highlands Rural Health.

As a child who experienced a traumatic brain injury and the years of recovery that followed, Di gained qualifications through adult learning, while working and raising 3 beautiful sons. Now the proud grandmother of 3.33 grandchildren.

Di moved to the area 2 years ago working in the Living and Ageing Well in Hepburn project.

While working in this project, community feedback throughout the Hepburn Shire showed there is a large portion of the LGBTIQA+ community that feels disconnected and disempowered.

While there are pockets of safe and inclusive communities all through the shire, feeling safe, welcomed, empowered and heard is inconsistent and not “the norm” for many LGBTIQA+ community members.

Di is passionate about contributing the conversation from an on the ground, lived experience perspective.

Ian Gould

Ian has tertiary qualifications in agricultural science, agricultural engineering and management. He worked in agri-food research and research management, with the Dept of Agriculture Victoria, the Australian Food Industry Science Centre and the CSIRO. For over 40 years he has volunteered with many Melbourne based LGBTIQ+ community organisations and government advisory committees. He is a Life Member of Thorne Harbour Health and the Mid Summa Festival and was a board member of Pride Foundation Australia for over 10 years. Ian returned to the country after retirement, and now lives near Castlemaine.

Dr Linda Kirkman

Dr Linda Kirkman is a sex educator, sex therapist, and independent scholar with a background in education and public health. Her work covers sexuality, sexual health, and relationships across the lifespan, especially in later life. With a strengths-based, inclusive, and sex-thoughtful approach that emphasises psychological safety Linda’s work is current and engaging. Cats like her, although she is a dog person, owned by a Jack Russell terrier.

Max Primmer

Max is a 76 year old gay man , who spends time volunteering at hospitals and aged care facilities, driving patients to appointments and presenting Radio shows in my home town and Bendigo. Max came out at age 15, in 1964, and has had an amazing and wonderful life. Max is very happy to be able to still give back to his community and help anyone whenever, wherever.

Grace Lee

Grace Lee (she/her) has a Master's Degree of Counselling and Psychotherapy from the Cairnmillar Institute. She operates a private counselling practice in Creswick.

Grace works with LGBTIQA+ clients of all ages from 13 upwards, and in addition to LGBTIQA+ support has also specialized in grief and bereavement.

Grace is also a Suicide Bereavement Support Group Facilitator with Switchboard Victoria’s Suicide Prevention team and has been key in establishing the World’s first LGBTIQA+ Support After Suicide program, which has been running successfully since 2021.

Grace identifies as a transgender woman.

Grace acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which she lives and works.

Andrew Rogers

Andrew Rogers is the Lead Educator at Val’s LGBTI+ Ageing and Aged Care and is known for his commitment to improving the wellbeing of older LGBTI+ people.

Andrew has been a member of LGBTIQA+ advisory groups for a number of organizations and has contributed to consultations with both state and national agencies regarding the health and wellbeing of LGBTI+ older people.

He is a co-host of the award winning program ‘Rainbows Don’t Fade with Age’ on 3CR radio.