Australia’s First YouTube Channel for Over 55s Reaches 500 Subscribers

Australia's first dedicated YouTube channel for over 55s has reached over 500 subscribers to its monthly lifestyle show, The Good Life and that number continues to climb.

The milestone coincides with this week's release of episode four of The Good Life, which this month is putting the focus on volunteering and the vital contribution that older Australians make to the unpaid workforce.

Hosts of The Good Life, Wollongong locals Pete Gatwood and Gwen Wilson, are volunteers themselves, as well as the show's talent pool of guest presenters and correspondents from the Sunshine Coast, the NSW South Coast and the ACT.

"I've never done anything like this before," Mr Gatwood said. "But I'm really enjoying the challenge of learning new skills such as reading a teleprompter."

"We're volunteers, and we haven't been to film school... does it show?" Ms Wilson joked. "I wanted to push the boundaries and do something new, and who knows where it's going to lead."

This month Pete visits the South Coast's Lake Wollumboola to talk to a group dedicating their free time to protecting nesting Little Terns. Gwen interviews the CEO of the Centre for Volunteering, Gemma Rygate, and roving reporter Cheryl Hull catches up with an ex-Olympian about the Men's Shed movement.

Since launching in October last year, The Good Life has covered a range of topics and events, from the importance of Advanced Care Planning as you get older, to a Senior Sports Carnival where the participants must be over the age of 80.

"Over 55s is the fastest growing YouTube demographic, but there's little non-commercial Australian content available for this audience," said IRT Foundation Manager, Toby Dawson.

"We saw a gap in the market and an opportunity to provide useful information to older Australians in an easy to access and watch format," Mr Dawson said. "The beauty of a YouTube channel is that people can watch it pretty much anywhere on their smartphone or tablet, when it suits them." 

Click here to watch The Good Life.

Click here to find out more about IRT Group's retirement villages in New South Wales.