TOUCHING BASE & CELEBRATING THE THIRD AGE

Singapore is one of the fastest ageing populations in the world.

Our population is still relatively young today, but this will change significantly over the next 20 to 30 years. Today, 7.6 percent of the population is 65 years old and above. This will increase almost three-fold to about 18.9% by 2030.

That's to say, one in five Singaporeans will be at least 65 years old then.

Asia's four biggest economies - Australia, China, Japan, & South Korea - are all affected by the greying phenomenon.

According to the United Nations estimates, 30% of the populations of China & Australia will be older than 60 by 2050, while South Korea's figure is 36.9%.

Japan's aging phenomenon is the most serious, where 42.4% of its population is expected to be aged 60 or older by 2050.

By comparison, only 25.5% of the U.S. population will be over 60 years old by 2050.

Globally, the average of the elderly population ratio is estimated to rise from 7.3% to 11.8% in 2030 % 15.9% in 2050. That's to say, 1 in 5 of the world's population will be over 60. For the first time in history, there will be more of us over 60 than there will be children under 15.

No wonder, the 21st century has been termed the 'Century of Ageing'.

Nonetheless, my Polytechnic buddies from the mid-sixties & I, especially with all of us already into the early sixties, are not going "bananas" over these relatively shocking ageing statistics, whether globally or nationally.

To us, we just want to hang out together, once every two months. In some ways, besides touching base with each other, we also like to celebrate our ascent into the Third Age.

In fact, six of us -David, Mike, John, Hock Tin & King & yours truly; only David, King, & yours truly brought along our wives - met recently for lunch at the Crystal Jade Restaurant in the IMM Jurong East shopping mall on Wednesday.

After lunch, we even adjourned to the Kopitiam (coffee-shop) on the 2nd floor to continue our talk shop. Everything under the sun was fair game.

The last time, we - David, Mike, John, Hock Tin, & yours truly; only David & yours truly brought along our wives - had met in October, also over lunch.

It was Mike's earlier idea for each of us to serve on rotation as paymaster for the occasion. So, he paid for the last gathering in October. I was the paymaster for Wednesday. I reckon he wanted us to show personal commitment to the bi-monthly get-together initiative. In earlier years, we had met only once in a blue moon.

The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for the first week of March 2010. David has volunteered to be the next paymaster.

To me, keeping the socialisation process alive & active - or sustaining the fire of the Old Boys Network burning, so to speak - is imperative, as we continue to journey through the Third Age & all the way - gracefully - to the Fourth Age.