A point to prove

Xposé winner Kathleen Leahy tells Rachel Borrill it’s vital to jump out of your comfort zone.

IT has been a week she will never forget. The cameras, the lights, the adrenalin rush — but for Kathleen Leahy, 67, she also hopes that her time as a presenter on TV3’s Xposé programme will prove older people can contribute and have a “wealth of life experience’’ to offer.

“I was very nervous on Monday. It was like going back to school. I was taken so far out of my comfort zone,’’ she says. “But I am enjoying it. I am very proud and very privileged to be chosen to do something for us older people.’’

Kathleen, who is originally from Rochfortbridge, Co Westmeath, was chosen by a panel of TV3 editors to join the Xposé team as a special guest presenter for this week to celebrate the European Year of Active Ageing.

“They had selected about ten people. When I met them they wanted to see if I was able to communicate, how comfortable I was sitting down chatting. Then I did a photo shoot and I got the job,’’ she recalls.

A TV 3 spokeswoman describes Kathleen as “perfect” to celebrate The European Year of Active Ageing as she was so enthusiastic. “Kathleen is so chatty and confident, exactly the type of person we wanted,’’ she says.

The European Year of Active Ageing aims to highlight the contribution older people can make to society and also encourage them to “get more out of life,’’ whether at work, at home or in the community. It is a philosophy that Kathleen heartily agrees with.

“An older person can be sitting there with nothing to do and all day to do it. I think it is important to get out there into the community and let others see what we can give back, to show that we can contribute and that we have a wealth of life experience to offer,’’ she says.

After working 26 years at Campbell’s catering company, Kathleen, a widow with one daughter, retired last year and readily admits she was worried about how much she would miss her colleagues and how she would fill her days.

“I was a bit nervous about retiring, but I thought; ‘You just have to get out there and adapt.’ So far it has been very positive,’’ she says.

Determined to help others after she retired, Kathleen flew out to South Africa as a volunteer with Niall Mellon’s Township Trust, which was a life-changing experience.

“I wanted to do something, if I could help in anyway, give myself a project to do. So volunteering was for me killing two birds with one stone, that was the way I saw it.

“I was worried I would be too old at 66, but they said there was also a man in his 70s going too. It was very hard work and I was extremely tired but it was so rewarding. I was thrilled and delighted that I had my health and strength to go there and help.’’

Now Kathleen is also helping out at the reception of her local community centre and is amazed at the facilities and activities organised for older people.

“You have to have something to do, a purpose to get up for. Look at your community,’’ she advises. “I have been living here for 23 years and didn’t know half the people here or what went on at the centre and now I do. They offer everything from yoga to knitting and bridge.

“Meeting new people gives you a positive outlook on life, even if you just pop in for a cup of coffee, you’ll be amazed at the people you will meet.’’

So what are Kathleen’s plans for the future? Her next big project? She laughs, and says she never plans too far ahead.

“I just go with the flow,’’ she says.