Ninety-two-year-old Yvonne Lawrence has swapped the bowling green for the calm, blue waters of Penrith Lakes.
The Springwood Uniting Aged Care resident enjoyed a day of sailing, live music and memory-making at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith on February 20 as part of Seniors Week celebrations.
Mrs Lawrence described the sailing experience as "beautiful, I want more of it!"
"You sit and the wind blows your boat around and it's so beautiful," she said.
About 200 Uniting aged care residents from facilities across Sydney came to the regatta centre for the sailing event, now in its fourth year.
"At Uniting, we support and encourage residents to make the most of every opportunity to enjoy being active and to live life to the fullest," said event organiser Nic Langenberg.
"Days like today empower older people to take life with both hands and actively engage with the broader community. They also help to break down the stigma attached to aging and shows that mobility restrictions are no barriers for the young at heart."
Logistics were an important part of the day, with many participants needing a special lifting device to get them into their sailing boats, and then all the buses and hundreds of kilos of food required for 200 people.
Volunteers from Sailability - an organisation with helps people with disabilities learn to sail - and Winmalee High School students, were on hand to take the residents out on the lake.
Year 10 student Aiden Prior enjoyed being out on the water and giving back to the elderly.
"It's a really good cause and is good to help out my community," he said.
While Mrs Lawrence was enjoying making new memories on the water, she holds very dear memories of her 50 years as a lawn bowler at Oberon and Glenbrook.
"I liked the friendliness and camaraderie and I always liked to win and we didn't always win," she said.
"Glenbrook is an excellent club; especially encouraging young people to play."
