--- title: "Life can be about work, play and giving back once you’ve hit 60" description: "Three residents of the Southern Cape’s Garden Route demonstrate living a meaningful, fulfilling and fun life to the fullest." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "RETIRE IN STYLE" author: "Esther de Villiers" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/esther-de-villiers/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-29-life-can-be-about-work-play-and-giving-back-once-youve-hit-60/" published: "2026-09-29T21:47:50" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 1268 --- # Life can be about work, play and giving back once you’ve hit 60 > Three residents of the Southern Cape’s Garden Route demonstrate living a meaningful, fulfilling and fun life to the fullest. By Esther de Villiers · Published 29 September 2026, 23:47 SAST ## Key points - Life after 60 isn’t slowing down: this piece profiles three locals who blend meaningful work, adventurous play and sustained giving back — redefining retirement as purpose, not pause. - Alewijn Dippenaar channels his time into high-impact volunteering — from directing the Outeniqua Chair Challenge and co-running car festivals to growing 500 spekboom plants a year and coaching students — living ARK (Acts of Random Kindness). - Ling Dobson, a Pam Golding stalwart and founder of the Knysna Literary Festival, bounced back from a heart attack to return to the sales floor — competitive, social and energised by travel, Pilates and her “bubbles”. - Dr Peter Berning pairs a lifetime of medicine with a thirst for adventure — flying, polar expeditions and community care — and at 60-plus took on Hospice Plett rather than winding down. ## Content Event organiser Alewijn Dippenaar is the epitome of an active 60-plusser who dedicates his time to high-impact volunteering. “Never stop making a meaningful contribution to society – this is the essence of life after 60,” says Dippenaar. And there’s been no stopping him since he hit that milestone sometime after the dawn of the millennium. He has been event director of the Outeniqua Chair Challenge, a sporting event for athletes with disabilities and wheelchair users, for eight years, and co-organiser of the George Old Car Show since 2022. This year marks his third as co-organiser of the Santos Beach Auto Extremo, an automotive festival in Mossel Bay. He has also provided logistical support for the Grootbrak Grabadoo, a cycling event and fun walk or run, for 15 years. Dippenaar has managed the public participation process for 12 construction projects in George for the past three years and is involved with DeafSA, DeafBlind SA, the local nonprofit organisation Ithemba Lobomi and Ambassadors of the George Museum, a community initiative to share and preserve the history of the region. “I also conduct around 30 training sessions annually, covering topics such as coping with fear, anxiety, depression and stress, as well as conflict resolution and management,” says Dippenaar. To use “otherwise unoccupied time”, he grows 500 spekboom plants every year for distribution and helps other organisers with their events. “I coach about 10 tourism students yearly and avail my 20 go-karts for fundraising initiatives. It’s how I keep myself busy after 60. ![P21 Esther Over 60](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/m7Nt7kpkR0vLMEwqHQ4NwQ-gG2Q=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2997/25DM26workAL1_448143.jpg) *Alewijn Dippenaar. Photo: Supplied/Alewijn Dippenaar* “Attending the funerals of friends and family becomes quite difficult. As everyone gets older, your circle gradually shrinks. A treasured photograph from my Air Force days pictures myself and three friends; we also studied together. When I look at it, I realise that I’m next, because the other three have moved on. “After 60, you need to take account of everything you have accumulated and give away the things you don’t use to people who really need them. Otherwise, you are creating a challenge for those who will eventually have to bury you. The basic principle of ARK – Acts of Random Kindness – becomes increasingly valuable as you share what you have with others who need it.” ### Bubbles, books, connecting people Ling Dobson started as a rookie at Pam Golding Properties … and managed to achieve GoldClub status the next year. “I worked as an agent and in 2009 bought the franchise from head office, so I carried on working and selling – still a member of the Elite GoldClub after all these years. “I’ve always loved connecting people. It enables me to excel in being a free spirit. After 60, I had zero intention of becoming a golfer, birder or bridge player. In 2013, I decided that Plett would be a good addition to the franchise. I never thought I would find this profession so exciting, but I loved the people and loved Pam herself – such an inspiration. I started having fun.” After a heart attack in 2018, Dobson knew she needed a contingency plan. “I was lucky to find a like-minded person: Gordon Shutte purchased the franchise from me in 2019 and he’s enjoying taking it further. ![P21 Esther Over 60](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/8_rqkkg-QXSvvSK3-kxEQsk-PfU=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2997/25DM26workLING4_813558.jpg) *Property powerhouse Ling Dobson. (Photo: Supplied / Ling Dobson)* “After years as the principal, being a sales agent again allows me to immerse myself in connecting people with the right properties. So now, after 25 years in real estate, I can confidently say I know what I am doing. I’m good at it and very competitive and I love the challenge.” Dobson has raked in many accolades over the years, culminating in winning the Pam Golding Lion Award. She also gained praise for creating the Knysna Literary Festival: a book celebration with a difference that became especially popular with the “swallow population” – Europeans spending their winter months in the Garden Route. “I don’t believe I will be winding down soon. In the past two years I have teamed up with a dynamic sales partner, Svelka Sharp, and together we’ve enjoyed even higher achievements, proven by the numbers,” she says. And how does Dobson, described as a “powerhouse” by members of the property fraternity, keep that “machine” going? “I spoil myself yearly with a super bush holiday and come back revitalised. I read a lot, and Pilates has been an energising journey for body and mind – as has socialising with my good friends, all of whom enjoy their bubbles.” ### Berning the candle at both ends Many of his patients may be unaware that Dr Peter Berning brushed sides with the Boks in his varsity days. “In 1971, I played centre for the University of Cape Town with Peter Whipp by my side, and three of our team members went on to become Springboks – a fine side indeed. When I played for Western Province U20, we came up against all the other provinces and never lost a game.” Apart from sport, the doc is passionate about flying. “This bug bit on a flying safari in July 1989 with famous Free State farmer Andries Botha, who became a member of Parliament and the DA’s spokesperson for agriculture and land affairs. The safari took about 17 hours, and for most of that time Andries let me fly. We got back and I was hooked,” says Berning. The most memorable of his air adventures was a flight to Lüderitz from Plettenberg Bay via Springbok with wife Joan, and acclaimed photographer Obie Oberholzer and his wife Lynn. “The Lüderitz landing strip was easy, but as we were on finals, my vision was obscured by a little yellow biplane flown by bush pilot and adventurer Gino Noli – upside down. Into my earphones crackled: ‘Don’t worry about me playing silly buggers, just go and land!’” Then, in the mid-noughties, Berning set off on two polar adventures with varsity friends. “One of our UCT side members, Dugald McDonald, had heard about the polar race from Resolute Bay to the magnetic North Pole, and we decided to tackle it in 2005. If a little slower than other racers, it was a great experience and learning curve to survive in a tent on your own on the polar cap. Next up, another varsity mate wanted to go south, and I joined him on The Last Degree polar expedition in 2012. Together we survived Antarctica.” ![P21 Esther Over 60](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/at0WmdfHnecfaq9TVZTtqbcxPcU=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2997/25DM26workPETE187_518808.jpg) *Dr Peter Berning and his wife Joan on a holiday hike. (Photo: Supplied / Dr Peter Berning)* Berning has been “doctoring” since 1975. “After my housemanship year, I went to work in Kleinzee on the West Coast, my first job as a medical officer. I served in Angola, then worked in Australia and Wales before returning to the Cape. Joan and I moved to Plett in 1981 and I’ve been doing what I’m doing ever since.” Joan founded the initiative Eden to Addo in 2006 to connect ecologically significant areas, linking the Garden Route National Park to the Baviaanskloof World Heritage Site and Addo Elephant National Park. “The corridor work is all Joan’s, but she’s now handed over those reins to our daughter Rhian, while her cheesemaking business has been passed on to our son Clyde. So, the next generation is taking over. “In my late sixties and seventies, I found that the trick to shorten my days was to stop doing night work or weekend visits while still being available for calls. Having said that, I’ve just taken a post at Hospice Plett, so I’ll work more rather than winding down.” **DM** *This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R35.* ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/T7yGLsNjPQ89niSq1you0ddJTkU=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/2997/DM-180926_438658.jpg)