As part of the Victorian Seniors Festival 2025, COTA Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria, in collaboration with Leadership Victoria and Volunteering Victoria, celebrated older Victorians stepping into leadership roles and making a difference in their communities.
The free public forum heard from older Victorians in diverse leadership roles, explored pathways into leadership in later-life, and offered practical advice for those interested in making a similar impact.
We thank those who spoke during the webinar, all those who attended live, and those who will watch the webinar on-demand when convenient to them.
Webinar speakers
- Ben Rogers, CEO of COTA Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria
- Katherine Ellis, CEO of Leadership Victoria
- Gillian Garner, Business and Policy Officer at Volunteering Victoria
- Sue Hendy, Ageing Activist, former CEO of COTA Victoria
- Brenda Appleton, Member of the Senior Victorians Advisory Committee
- Paul Higgins, Owner of Emergent Futures
- Vic Perri, Long-time advocate of Living Positive Victoria
- Peter Sutton OAM, Social Advocate
The webinar was directed by COTA Victoria’s Marshida Kolthoff, Policy and Advocacy Manager alongside Martin Turnbull, Senior Policy Advisor.
Watch the webinar
Important links
⦁ Become a member of COTA Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria: https://cotavic.org.au/membership
⦁ Find out more about Leadership Victoria’s Beyond program: https://www.leadershipvictoria.org/beyond-program/
⦁ Learn more about Volunteering Victoria: https://www.volunteeringvictoria.org.au/
⦁ Find out more about what Paul discussed at https://www.essendonveteranscricketclub.com.au/ and https://svpmelbourne.org.au/
⦁ Brenda, Peter, and Vic have also volunteered their time and knowledge to COTA Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria’s Beyond Age campaign, which focusses on ageing and ageism: https://elderabuseawarenessday.org.au/weaad-2025-beyond-age/beyond-age-online-exhibition/
⦁ You can take part in Beyond Age as well: https://elderabuseawarenessday.org.au/weaad-2025-beyond-age/take-part-and-create-your-own-beyond-age-storyboard/