Evelyn Hannon: far from retiring

She was a pioneer in publishing on the Internet and writing advice for women travelers and, now in her mid-60s, retiring is the farthest thing from her mind.

Evelyn Hannon says she's believed in reinventing herself every seven to ten years and her self-employed work as a travel journalist is Career Number Six.

"It began because of my interest in travel and then I began to see that women definitely had different needs than men do when they travel," she explains. Her website (www.journeywoman.com) went online in 1997.

Evelyn started her working life as a primary school teacher and then operated her own children's summer camp before tackling adult education and leisure activities for the 50+ generation. In the 1980s, Evelyn found herself at McGill University, Oxford and the Sorbonne where she studied communications, majoring in film and television.

The next phase of her life was spent researching for documentaries at the National Film Board and as production assistant in Canada, the U.S. and abroad. Since then, she has worked as consultant for the federal government and the travel industry. She's appeared on American network television and been featured in major international publications ranging from People Magazine and Reader's Digest to The New York Times and the South China Morning Post. TIME listed her as 'one of this century's most innovative thinkers'.

"I was really one of the world's pioneers in saying we have to cater to women needs," she says. "Now everybody's doing it."

Women have different health, safety and security needs when they're traveling, she explains, especially when traveling abroad. An advice book for women travelers she wrote for Foreign Affairs Canada in 1994 has been reprinted every year since and is available in passport offices.

On top of all that, in early May she was one of 6,500 who ran a 10kilometre marathon along Yonge Street in Toronto.

"I'm so proud of myself," she says. (Her daughter, broadcaster Erika Ehm, finished only 11 minutes before her.)

Evelyn acknowledges that 65 is "a great place to be" and has absolutely no plans to stop working. "Writing is the kind of thing you can do forever," she points out. "The kinds of stories I write change as I progress. When I go to Disney, I now write from the grandmother's point of view. I understand the Internet and I see no reason I can't continue."

Sue Singer, Vancouver BC, writes

As busy as you are, I wanted to email you to congratulate you on Prime50. I too am over 50 and did not begin my business, Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, until my late 40s. We employ several Chef Instructors over 50 who have had extremely successful careers in the hotel industry and now wish to 'give back' by teaching and sharing their extensive knowledge with our students. I am sure there is a market for Prime50 in Vancouver as well. Good Luck-your website bursts with professionalism-you are definitely onto something 'big'.

(Sue Singer is the President and Founder of the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts)

D.Wright, Halifax NS, writes

I am glad that that there is now some recognition of the fact that seniors need and want to work; and that there is a need to educate employers that those of us who have been in the workplace for many years still have a lot to offer in the workplace. Even the province of Nova Scotia recognizes the fact that older people are having problems getting meaningful work and this year has funded the 'Older Workers Initiative' through Job junction and People Plus to help us. I applaud (Prime50) for your efforts to bring attention to this problem we older workers are experiencing.

Judy Molyneaux, Pickering ON, writes

I have spent many years in the Corporate Travel environment as an Operations and Account Manager and had the opportunity to change my life path. I have just completed a course with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.

I have spent weeks trying to find the right job and came across your organization. Your philosophy and research on the importance of the 50+ employees in the workplace and the overwhelming value they bring to any job is refreshing and uplifting. I just turned "50" this past February and have never had more energy or been more committed to making a real difference in the workplace.

I have already mentioned to a few of my friends that your company exists and have no doubt that you will grow very fast as more 'baby boomers' want to relocated and find new and rewarding jobs. I am one of many.

Claudette Hart: who could ask for more?

Claudette Hart is 64 and an artist. And for someone who never picked up a paintbrush till she was 40, she's less amazed at being an artist than she is at being 64.

"I don't think you're really old until you think you are," Hart says. "I'm always surprised when I realize that I'm 64."

The path from Iroquois Falls in northern Ontario to her log home/studio in Merrickville, just an hour outside of Ottawa, was a circuitous one, to say the least. She started out teaching English as a second language to adults at universities and colleges in Canada and the United States. Then she went back to university, got her Bachelor of Education and taught at a rural elementary school in eastern Ontario for 12 years. She admits she "never dared try" her hand in the arts until she hit the magic age of 40.

"I think my life started again at 40," Hart says. "I became more daring and more eager to try new things." One of the new things she tried was watercolors. Her courage was slow to follow.

"I would look over my shoulder to be sure no one was looking…then I kept doing it…every single day" she explains. "I always felt if I didn't do it every single day, I'd forget how." Even though she admits that it was a force bigger than she.

"I always felt like I was God because I could put a tree here," laughs Hart. "It was really exciting. I just loved watercolors."

The experience led her to take up pottery in her late 40s, and then her path took another turn…to gourds. Hart had read an article about a woman who worked with gourds and suddenly it all became clear. She was "really, really" attracted by the organic quality of the object that it came from the earth, that it didn't hold the limitations of pottery. "I realized then, in a trice, that this was what I always wanted to do but didn't know it," Hart explained. "It was just a revelation."

By the time the gourds were ready in the spring of 2001, she was ready too-to transform, through designs and stains, the humble hardshell fruits into works of art. Her wonderful, inspired, one-of-akind gourds didn't start flying off the shelves until she appeared on TV. And when the "word got around that Claudette was doing this crazy new thing, more and more people came."

It's this craziness, this passion, that keeps her going and that she puts into everything she does. Like the clothes she made for her children when they were young, when she would "go and buy these funky fabrics." Even today, Hart says, "They still talk about the great t-shirts that I used to make them and the clothes with the crazy colours."

She was simply as passionate about those clothes as she was about teaching, watercolors, pottery, and now is about her gourds. So what does her future hold?

"My history tells me that it's very possible that one day I will find another passion," says Hart. In the meantime, she's literally out of her gourd about gourds.

Sue Wadland, Calgary, The 'Work Wisdom' of Mature Employees

Combining the experience of older workers with the know-how of younger ones is a formula for success, says the head of human resources for one of North America's largest hotel management organizations.

People in their 50s, 60s and older also need to overcome their reluctance to look for rewarding careers out of fear they'll be passed over by recruiters, says Sue Wadland, executive vice-president of human resources development for Royal Host Corp.

The experience that older employees bring to a job or lend as mentors is invaluable, she says, adding that younger people, in turn, may have high-tech knowledge that some older people lack. Employing greater numbers of mature workers is definitely a growing trend in companies' recruitment efforts, due to the impact of changing demographics.

"I think we're like all employers," Wadland says. "We're of course facing the challenge of finding employees with the talents and then retaining those employees. What attracts us (to older employees) in terms of the recruitment perspective is that dedication, commitment, loyalty to an employer and the fact that they're sharing the knowledge from previous positions."

Royal Host, a publicly-traded real estate investment trust, owns or manages 120 hotel franchises in Canada and the U.S., including well-known names, such as Travelodge, Holiday Inn, Best Western, Hilton and Ramada. Employment fluctuates with seasonal demand, ranging up to 3,500, with some 2,000 in Canada.

Wadland likes the phrase 'work wisdom'. She feels it best describes the common-sense values that mature employees bring to the workplace. But she's bothered by the fact that many older people may avoid applying for meaningful employment because of concerns their age will work against them. In fact, that's one reason Royal Host recognized the value of services offered by Prime50 in recruiting for one of its Toronto hotels.

"One of the things we see sometimes is hesitancy on the part of older people either to come back into the workforce or to go out and actively apply for the jobs because they're thinking they're going to give it to younger people," she says. "That was one of the reasons we worked with Prime50 specifically for Travelodge Toronto Yorkdale because we wanted to help build that confidence and find positions for those employees."

Companies need to recognize the advantage of having employees of all ages and levels of experience and skills working for them. Some older workers may benefit from working with younger people who have a greater level of comfort using new technology, while the older workers have a longer workplace track record, Wadland explains.

"One of the things that I see in the workplace is where you have a balance of different age groups. So you have the younger generation-they bring in confidence, they don't worry about computers-that they're going to blow up if you touch them. So you have a balance of 'work wisdom' and the confidence of 'let's try new things'. That's where I think the two can actually help complement each other."

Royal Host owns or manages a number of hotels that have employees in their 60s or 70s-some of whom have been with the same hotel for 35 years or more. Older people are increasingly showing interest in returning to the workplace, often on a part-time basis, Wadland says, adding many want to enter the hospitality sector as a new career.

"Some are saying it's something different and they'd like to give it a try. For example, a driver for a shuttle bus between the hotel and airport-they might have been in a factory and what they really enjoy about it is the opportunity to talk to people."

Anyone joining Royal Host is given more than adequate training in standard operating procedures for every imaginable job throughout the company. Twelve years ago, Wadland developed what's called the company's ESP (Extra-Special People) training program, covering roles, such as selling, security and service.

"Extra-special people," Wadland explains, "are ordinary people achieving exceptional things through training. There are easy reference tools for both the trainers and the new hires, regardless of their age-old or young."

And the company recognizes flexibility in work arrangements is essential for employees with family responsibilities, from children or grandchildren to older parents. "It attracts a lot of people-whether they're in the older part of their career or just young people with families."