Seniors Week

Sunday 4 October – Saturday 10 October 2026

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Kew Seniors Week runs from Sunday 4 to Saturday 10 October 2026, presented by the Kew Junction Business Association in partnership with Bendigo Bank Inner East. The week brings together talks, workshops and community events across Kew Junction, celebrating and supporting the area’s older residents.

This year’s festival ambassador is Rita Erlich AM, who opens the week with a keynote at the Sunday Lunch and closes it at the Big Morning Tea. Most events are free or offered at a low, subsidised cost.

Throughout October, Kew Junction traders are also running special offers for seniors – look out for these in shopfronts across the precinct.

Full program details are below.

Festival Ambassador

Rita Erlich AM

Rita Erlich AM is a Melbourne food writer, researcher, lecturer, broadcaster and consultant, with a career spanning more than four decades.

She was a journalist with The Sun and The Age, wrote columns for The Age and The Australian, and co-edited The Age Good Food Guide with Claude Forell through the 1980s and 90s.

She has judged restaurants, books and produce, broadcasts on Travel Writers Radio, and has written or co-written several books, including The Makers: A Story of Food, Family and Foreigners, SP: A Cook’s Story with chef Scott Pickett, Melbourne by Menu, and Color Me Healthy, on nutrition and the pigments in food, with Dr Alice Murkies.

She is currently working on a new book, What’s Rita Cooking? – A Lifetime of Recipes.

In June 2023, Rita was made a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the tourism and hospitality industry in Victoria. In 2026, the French Government made her a Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit (Chevalier du Mérite Agricole), recognising her contribution to gastronomy.

Rita is also a member of the local Kew community. As she puts it:

“Cooking is one of my languages. It’s one of the ways I communicate … an on-going discussion with ingredients, seasons, the weather, the people for whom and with whom I cook.”

Rita Erlich AM

She opens Kew Seniors Week with a keynote at the Sunday Lunch, and closes it at the Big Morning Tea, where guests will be among the first to see her forthcoming book, What’s Rita Cooking? – A Lifetime of Recipes, with pre-order copies available on the day.

Rita’s message for Seniors Week

This year, Rita wants to talk about the years that matter most right now: the decades from 60 to 80 and beyond, which make up a huge share of a life and deserve to be treated as such, not an afterthought. Two threads run through what she’ll bring to the festival – the case for travel, and how new places keep broadening the mind well past retirement; and nutrition, which she’ll unpack in more detail at the Big Morning Tea.

Full Program

Sunday Lunch with Rita

Sunday 4 October 2026

Kew Seniors Week opens with a long Sunday lunch hosted by one of Melbourne’s great food voices. Rita Erlich AM has spent more than four decades writing about what we eat, where we travel and the people we meet along the way. That work spans her years at The Age and The Age Good Food Guide, several books, and her broadcasts on Travel Writers Radio.

Her keynote is about the years that don’t get talked about enough: 60 to 80 and beyond. It’s a big chapter of life that often gets treated as an afterthought, and Rita will make the case for living it fully. She has a particular soft spot for travel, and for how a new place, a new table or a new conversation keeps the mind wide open at any age.

Lunch is at the Postmaster Hotel, inside the old Kew Post Office. The heritage-listed Victorian landmark stands on the corner of High Street and Cotham Road, beside the Kew War Memorial. Locals have been gathering in this building for generations, so it’s a fitting place to start a week that celebrates Kew’s older residents.

You’ll sit down to two courses:

crispy skin barramundi or chicken cotoletta, then
lemon tart or chocolate brownie,
with a tea or coffee.

Both courses are served alternately, with other drinks available at bar prices.

Good to know: the Postmaster Hotel is a heritage building, and that character comes with stairs at the entrance and stairs inside to the bathrooms. If stairs are a challenge for you or someone you’re booking for, email info@kewjunction.com.au before you book and we’ll talk you through the venue so you can plan your day.

$30 per person includes a two-course lunch, a tea or coffee, and Rita’s keynote. Places are limited.

Scam Awareness: Banking Safely Online

Monday 5 October 2026

Bendigo Bank’s Inner East team run a practical session on staying safe with online banking, covering the scam tactics currently targeting the community – fake bank calls, remote access scams, phishing texts and investment offers – and the everyday habits, like strong passphrases and multi-factor authentication, that make the biggest difference. Delivered in plain language, with time for questions. Sessions run for 90 minutes.

Street parking is available on Princess street with a 2 hour limit. Free all day parking is available on Howard Street. The Tower Board Room is accessible via tram routes 109 and 48, and bus routes 200 and 207.

Tech Support Drop-in Clinics with iHelper

Tuesday 6 October 2026

Drop in to get your tech questions answered, one-on-one or in a small group, no booking required. iHelper brings over 30 years’ IT experience and specialises in helping seniors feel confident with their devices – from phone basics and troubleshooting to setting up email, taking and sharing photos, and video calling family and grandkids. Sessions run from Now & Then Cafe’s back room, with plenty of comfortable seating (and coffee) for anyone waiting their turn.

(No booking required)

Senior Golfers: Sharpen Your Game with PGA Pro Roland Baglin

Wednesday 7 October 2026

Love your golf? Come and have a hit, pick up some tips and have some fun! Join PGA Professional Roland Baglin for a special 90-minute golf session exclusively for experienced senior golfers at Big Swing Golf Kew.

Whether you want to improve your swing, sharpen your skills, become more consistent or simply enjoy some golf in great company, Roland will share practical tips and coaching in a relaxed and enjoyable environment.

And because this is indoor golf, there’s no need to worry about the weather! Have a hit on the simulators, enjoy a few laughs and finish with a delicious morning tea. Bring your clubs if you have them, or simply come along ready to have a swing! Places are limited, so grab your golfing buddies and book your spot.

Senior Beginners: Give Golf a Go!

Wednesday 7 October 2026

Always wanted to try golf? Now’s your chance! Think golf might be too difficult, too serious or just not for you? Think again! Come along to Big Swing Golf Kew for a fun and friendly 90-minute introduction to golf, designed especially for seniors who are new to the game.

National Program Deliverer Clo Brenac will take you through the basics in a relaxed, welcoming environment. You’ll learn foundation golf skills, have a go on our indoor golf simulators and discover just how much fun hitting a golf ball can be! No experience needed.

No golfing jargon. No pressure. Just come along, meet some new people, have a laugh and give something new a go. Just bring yourself and a willingness to have some fun! Grab a friend and come and discover your inner golfer.

Kew Junction Local History Walking Tour

Thursday 8 October 2026

Join the Kew Historical Society for a guided walking tour through Kew Junction and discover the stories, people and landmarks that have shaped this historic precinct. Learn about the area’s rich heritage while exploring its streets and significant sites. This event is by gold coin donation but registration is essential as tours are limited to 15 people per tour.

Grandparents & Kids Craft Workshops

Friday 09 October 2026

Bring the generations together through creativity in this engaging craft workshop for grandparents and grandchildren. Guided by Erika & Her Kraft, participants will enjoy a shared creative experience and quality time together. This event is free but registration is essential as workshops are limited to 15 children plus their grandparent per session.

Morning Tea with Rita

Saturday 10 October 2026

Kew Seniors Week closes the way it opened, with Rita Erlich AM and something good to eat. After a week of lunches, workshops, golf and walking tours, we’re bringing everyone back together for a relaxed Saturday morning tea with our festival ambassador.

This time Rita is talking about food and how we eat well as we get older. She knows this subject from both sides. She has spent more than four decades writing about Melbourne’s tables, and she co-wrote Color Me Healthy with Dr Alice Murkies, a book on nutrition and the colours in our food. Expect practical ideas and good stories, with the tables roving so there’s plenty of time to chat.

Guests will also get a first look at Rita’s new book, What’s Rita Cooking? – A Lifetime of Recipes, which gathers decades of cooking into one collection. Pre-orders will be available on the day.

Morning tea is served upstairs at Mister Bianco, in the Est + Ovest rooms. Art deco styling and natural light make them a lovely spot for a mid-morning catch-up in the heart of Kew Junction.

There will be a selection of savoury and sweet bites:

vegetable quiches, chicken & leek pie and cacio e pepe sausage rolls, then
bianco’s signature tiramisu, cannoli and bomboloni
with tea and filter coffee.

There’s lift access and parking is available nearby at the Fenton Way carpark.

$15 per person includes morning tea and Rita’s talk. Places are limited.

Angela’s Mane Attraction

Free Facial Waxing

Throughout October 2026

Angela’s Mane Attraction is shouting Seniors Week guests a little extra polish this October – book any colour service, trim & blow wave, or blow wave and receive a complimentary chin, lip and eyebrow wax thrown in, valued at $80.

How to redeem

Phone: 03 9853 1005 and mention Seniors Week offer

Q Wellness Collective