{"id":4720,"date":"2025-09-04T10:20:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T10:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.villages.com.au\/?p=4720"},"modified":"2025-09-04T10:21:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T10:21:47","slug":"740-residents-taking-part-in-this-months-gemlife-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.villages.com.au\/retirement\/740-residents-taking-part-in-this-months-gemlife-games\/","title":{"rendered":"740 residents taking part in this month&#8217;s\u00a0 GemLife Games"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"4720\" class=\"elementor elementor-4720\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5058929 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5058929\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ef93c90\" data-id=\"ef93c90\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26a1405 elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"26a1405\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.15.0 - 20-08-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>T<strong>he initiative of over-50s lifestyle developer GemLife, the inter-resort event champions fitness, fun and friendship among older Australians.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><p>Proving age is just a number, more than 740 athletes, volunteers and spectators in their 50s to 80s will go head-to-head in a showdown of spirt, skill and self-belief at the third annual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gemlife.com.au\/news\/game-on-calling-on-good-sports-for-2025s-gemlife-games\/\">GemLife Games<\/a> at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au\/qld\/sunshine-coast\/gemlife-palmwoods-21581\">GemLife Palmwoods<\/a> on Queensland&#8217;s Sunshine Coast in September.<\/p><p>From lifelong competitors to weekend warriors and those new to their sport, the competition will bring together older athletes from across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria for two days of competition, on 11 and 12 September.<\/p><p>Eight sports will be contested, with lawn bowls drawing the biggest field, followed closely by rising-star pickleball, and ten-pin bowling. Competitors will also take on tennis, table tennis, eight-ball pool, virtual golf and swimming.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-def8329 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"def8329\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-bad153a\" data-id=\"bad153a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96dedc9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"96dedc9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.15.0 - 20-08-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture4-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-4723\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture4-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture4-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture4-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture4-585x390.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture4.jpg 1503w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4742ccb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4742ccb\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a5327b7\" data-id=\"a5327b7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9604560 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9604560\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>\u201cThe Games have become legendary across our communities, with competitor numbers growing every year as more residents decide to give it a go,\u201d said GemLife Director and CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theweeklysource.com.au\/sector-moves-people\/from-a-caravan-park-to-a-158b-debut-adrian-puljich-takes-gemlife-public\">Adrian Puljich<\/a> (pictured).<\/p><p>\u201cAnd that\u2019s what it is all about. Encouraging over 50s to stay active and healthy, try new things, set new goals, and come together in a fun, supportive environment.<\/p><p>\u201cIn the lead up to the Games, all our facilities, including our lawn bowls greens, pickleball and tennis courts, and swimming pools, are buzzing with residents training for the big day.<\/p><p>\u201cSome pick up a new sport for the first time just to compete. While lawn bowls remains ever popular, it\u2019s exciting to see newer sports like pickleball among the most hotly contested.<\/p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s also incredibly rewarding to see the new friendships formed \u2014 from residents opening their homes to billet athletes travelling for the competition to cheering each other from the sidelines.\u201d<\/p><p>Competitor Frank Fesche credits keeping fit with saving his life. The 80-year-old Sunshine Coast man will take on the GemLife Games\u2019 25-metre freestyle swim \u2014 and follow with a 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride, and 21.1km run at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ironman.com\/races\/im703-sunshine-coast\">Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast<\/a> event just days later.<\/p><p>\u201cTaking part is motivation for me; motivation to get up in the mornings, get outside, do the training, and keep healthy of course,\u201d said Frank, a GemLife Palmwoods resident.<\/p><p>\u201cNine years ago, I had a triple bypass. I didn\u2019t even realise I had a heart problem, and it was only discovered through a sporting injury.<\/p><p>\u201cAt the time, I\u2019d just completed the Cairns ironman and qualified for the World Champs. A scan on a sore knee found calcification and when doctors took a closer look I was airlifted to Townsville for the bypass.<\/p><p>\u201cThey said if I wasn\u2019t so fit, I would have been dead years ago, so keeping active saved my life.\u201d<\/p><p>Frank, who was a spectator last year, was encouraged to participate by fellow residents.<\/p><p>\u201cIt\u2019s such a brilliant event and a great motivator for people to get involved in some sort of activity, because it can become too easy to slip into a sedentary lifestyle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-37f362b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"37f362b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ce1b6e0\" data-id=\"ce1b6e0\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-49d1ea6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"49d1ea6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture5-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-4724\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture5-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture5-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture5-585x390.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Picture5.jpg 1503w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Brian and Jo O'Mahoney<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4c79a32 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4c79a32\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8cabf7b\" data-id=\"8cabf7b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ac1a3a3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ac1a3a3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Jo O\u2019Mahony is looking forward to competing in the freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke swimming events at the GemLife Games, and is also on standby for lawn bowls.<\/p><p>It\u2019s the third year the GemLife Palmwoods resident has competed, and she said meeting new people and having fun are the aims of the game.<\/p><p>\u201cIt does get competitive in lawn bowls and swimming, in particular. We\u2019ve been doing swimming time trials to improve our 25-metre sprint,\u201d said Jo.<\/p><p>\u201cAlthough, this year we\u2019re taking a more laid-back approach and enjoying the experience instead of training too hard. It is great to see people getting out of their homes, joining in and having fun at the same time.\u201d<\/p><p>Jo took up lawn bowls when she moved to GemLife Palmwoods three years ago and said she loved the fact anyone could compete.<\/p><p>\u201cI didn\u2019t think I\u2019d be a lawn bowler, but I love it. If you have the ability, you can beat anyone, no matter your age or gender,\u201d she said.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The initiative of over-50s lifestyle developer GemLife, the inter-resort event champions fitness, fun and friendship among older Australians.\u00a0\u00a0 Proving age is just a number, more than 740 athletes, volunteers and spectators in their 50s to 80s will go head-to-head in a showdown of spirt, skill&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retirement"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4720"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4727,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4720\/revisions\/4727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}