STILL THE BEST OF FRIENDS

The participants of Old People's Home For Teenagers kept in touch when the cameras stopped rolling.

- Emma Levett

The anticipation builds as the audience shuffles in, taking their seats. Excited chatter fills the air as people point to the stage where the guitar and microphones are all set up.

Backstage Alix, 17, and her friend and guitarist are breathing through their nerves with the help of an unlikely crew member. Eighty-year-old Lorraine has been there all day, reassuring the girls and making sure the concert goes ahead, even after a few band members had dropped out.

“Alix sings absolutely beautifully and in November last year we arranged a jazz performance at the village,” Lorraine explains to Woman's Day.

The village she’s talking about - Constitution Hill retirement village in Sydney - is the one that graced our TV screens in 2023 as part of an ABC documentary that brought teenagers and the home's residents together.

The show, Old People’s Home For Teenagers, was a unique social experiment, bridging the gap between younger and older Australians, looking at how the intergenerational connections could promote health and happiness.

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