Late last year I made a trek that I know many of you will be doing in the upcoming school holidays; I headed "down the coast". I was on a mission to learn more about the inaugural program of the Young at Heart Kayak School run by Region X in Mossy Point. This learn-to-kayak program was designed specifically for seniors and it was absolutely unlike what I had expected. Far from the leisurely paddles I had assumed the course was going to be made up of, it was instead six weeks of rescue drills, ocean kayaking and capsizing, all with a lot of fun thrown in.

When I arrived at the school, I expected to see a bunch of hobbled bodies, as – let’s face it – life leaves many of us this way, even before we hit our senior years. Instead, I saw a bunch of folks (yes, many with grey hair and wrinkles and the occasional aches and pain) absolutely brimming with life. These weren’t the people I expected to find.

No one was nervously wondering why on earth they'd signed up, but rather they were dragging their kayaks to shore, exchanging details and asking when they’d be hitting the ocean. I was baffled. And when I was invited to go along for a quick paddle and found my back absolutely screaming in agony, I felt pretty defeated. None of this was panning out how I thought it would.

The more I hung out with these folks, in their 50s through to early 70s, and they shared with me their philosophy on life, it became clear that the issue isn't with ageing, it is with our (especially my) perception of what it means to grow older. Of what we should do and what we can do. And it's given me, and my body with all of its faults and flaws, a bit of hope for the future.

To find out more about the school and the inspiring people who took part, read an article I wrote for Australian Geographic Adventure magazine.