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The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian

Never too late

Stories of people who pursued their passions, realised their dreams and found new callings, later than expected

4 August 2021

  • Wildlife rescuer Angela Christodoulou

    Never too late: ‘Last month was my record for collecting koalas. I rescued seven in 24 hours’

    From the age of 10 Angela Christodoulou worked in retail. Then she became smitten by koalas, turned 50 and devoted herself to their rescue

18 May 2021

  • Amanda Hampson

    Never too late: ‘In my late 40s I realised writing a novel had become like Everest’

    Amanda Hampson always dreamed of writing, but it wasn’t until age 50 after a complicated life and ‘all sorts of jobs’ that she was able to publish her first novel

19 April 2021

  • Clear sky over woman walking alone along Greenly beach, South Australia

    Becoming a hiker in your 50s: ‘I always have more in my tank than I thought’

    When Joss Stewart’s mother died, she reassessed her priorities and rediscovered the outdoors

2 March 2021

  • Kate Woods (right) with her sister Anne Morrow, a retired ICU nurse.

    Never too late: 'I had to throw out everything I knew and start again'

    After two decades walking an ‘ethical tightrope’ in rural banking, Kate Woods retrained to become a pharmacist and moved to the remote East Kimberley

24 February 2021

  • Terease Wallace

    Never too late: 'When you take on something new, it's very intimidating'

    Terease Wallace always struggled at school and fell into retail when she left. At age 50, she got her licence to become an apprentice electrician

9 February 2021

  • Marion Wichmann near her Marsden Park home where she lives with her six children, she has spent the last ten years studying to get her degree. Sydney, NSW, Australia.

    Never too late: 'When I went to my graduation, the kids were cheering. They were just so proud'

    Marion Wichmann always wanted to get a degree but balancing study with full-time work and care for her six children and elderly mother was not an easy road

2 February 2021

  • Bruce Englefield with Rascal the Tasmanian devil in 2006.

    Never too late: 'Running a wildlife park was a complete change and we were well past our sell-by date'

    From Benny Hill to Tasmania Devils, Bruce Englefield’s career transition from TV production to animal behaviour moved him to the other side of the world

26 January 2021

  • Roger Cull wearing professional biking gear in Australian colours, staring directly at the camera

    Never too late: ‘My neck is still sore, but I managed to get that world record’

    Though Roger Cull never contemplated taking up a sport in retirement, a chance invitation to a ‘little Sunday cycling group’ quickly led to more

19 January 2021

  • Allison Barnes, with some of her artwork, at her home in Canberra

    Never too late: 'I was one of the oldest ones there, and I also had no hair. But it was wonderful'

    After 30-year career in the public service, Allison Barnes enrolled in art school, where she found ‘a different place in the world’

12 January 2021

  • Nick Fowler, an electrical engineer turned personal trainer, works out in his Hawkesbury, NSW, garage

    Never too late: 'You’ve got to find that thing that gets you up in the morning'

    At 58, with arthritis, a bad knee, a bad back and bad shoulder, Nick Fowler enrolled in Tafe to become a personal trainer – a job he now loves

5 January 2021

  • Pam Catcheside and Junior Field Naturalists Belair NP red

    Never too late: how a retired teacher's 'fungi hobby' led to her finding 20 new species

    At the age of 58, after decades of working as a teacher, Pamela Catcheside retrained as a researcher, transforming a lifelong passion into a career
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