Still wielding a chainsaw at 85: the Australians restoring nature in retirement

Key points

• Retired GP Susan Downes, now 76, bought a 200-hectare farm near York, Western Australia, and is restoring its bushland. Her volunteer group has planted about 45,000 native seedlings, and the land will be placed under a conservation covenant.
• Across the country, older Australians make up most conservation volunteers, according to Landcare Australia's 2026 survey. Ken and Jill Hooper, both in their 80s, have spent decades restoring properties in New South Wales and northern Victoria.
• Ken says the work is hard but rewarding, and that it keeps him going.