INTHEBLACK April 2022 - Magazine - Page 63
F O R M A N Y, A N E S S E N T I A L I N G R E D I E N T I N T H E R E C I P E F O R
R E T I R E M E N T S U C C E S S I S A C O N T I N U AT I O N O F P R O F E S S I O N A L
A C T I V I T Y. T H I S B R I N G S P U R P O S E , I D E N T I T Y A N D H U M A N
C O N TA C T, A L L O N YO U R O W N T E R M S .
UPSKILLING
FOR A
PROFESSIONAL
RETIREMENT
STORY CHRIS SHEEDY
W
CLICK HERE
TO ACCESS
CPA Australia’s
mentioring
program
hen he arrived at retirement, Felim Deighan CPA
says he was “tremendously excited”. That
feeling had nothing to do with the fact that
he no longer had to work. In fact, the reason
behind his elation was the exact opposite.
“It wasn’t about not working, it was about having the
freedom to choose what I wanted to do in terms of work,
and the opportunity to give back,” says Deighan, who had
spent most of his career in telecommunications, member
services and banking.
“It was a realisation that I had within my power the
freedom to do what I wanted to do. That represented
tremendous power. And, to this day, six years later, I still
feel the same.”
Late in his career, Deighan had been drawn to the
rewards of mentoring his staff and colleagues, and
to participation in business-sponsored volunteering
programs. This inspired him to focus his retirement
on seeking out opportunities in the service of others.
Deighan continued mentoring, but also became involved
with the Victorian committee of the global anti-corruption
non-profit Transparency International. He also became
involved with CPA Australia’s Third Age Network (TAN),
leading a team that developed the proposal for
CPA Australia’s successful mentoring program.
Always keen to share and learn with others, Deighan
is also an avid book collector and active member of a
Melbourne-based Irish history research group, to which
he frequently presents.
“Success in retirement is about creating and having
markers in your life on a week-to-week basis,” Deighan
says. “It’s about having networking opportunities, social
opportunities and opportunities to continue to learn and
contribute while enjoying the company of others.”
FUTURE OF WORK: UPSKILLING FOR RETIREMENT
There are numerous benefits to remaining professionally
active during retirement, says Hunter Leonard, founder
and CEO of Silver & Wise, an organisation dedicated to
assisting mature-age individuals thrive in the future of work.
He says medical research clearly indicates that remaining
connected to networks and continuing to enjoy a sense of
purpose in retirement contributes to physical and emotional
wellbeing.
Outside the personal benefits, there is also the fact that
we are all citizens of a broader community and economy,
one that very much requires professional talent right now.
“Anyone who’s able to continue to contribute really
should,” Leonard says. “The more people that can do that,
the better.”
“A psychologist and gerontologist in the US, Dr Ken
Dychtwald did a calculation that revealed if all Americans
retiring over the next 20 years volunteered for just 3.3 hours
per week, in the two-decade period it would deliver
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au April 2022 63