FOR many years, Gerry Collins was a familiar voice of ABC sport, calling 23 Australian Olympic gold medal moments and the Wallabies' victory in the rugby World Cup of 1999.
But in 2013, having retired from a career behind the microphone, Mr Collins was sitting in a university lecture theatre in the French city of La Rochelle, struggling to find his voice in a foreign language.
As the then-63-year-old asked himself, "Why was I hanging out with people a third of my age at a time when many at my age seek the seclusion of a retirement village?"
"I always had a dream of living in France at some stage," Mr Collins told the Newcastle Herald. "I never imagined in my head I'd be a student, let alone a uni student."
The transition from Australian broadcaster to student of French began when Gerry Collins returned to his hometown of Newcastle after he retired.
He had been a Francophile since he was a boy, having read a French text book when he was a primary school student.
So at the suggestion of his partner, Robyn, he enrolled in a French course at the University of Newcastle and found out about an exchange program to the University of La Rochelle, a beautiful and historical city on the Atlantic coast.
He pursued his "unlikely dream" of living in France, applied for the exchange program and was accepted.
For four months, Gerry Collins lived in student accommodation and befriended locals.
He studied the language and literature of his host nation in its native tongue, and immersed himself in French daily life, from shopping in the produce markets to attending rugby matches, cheering on the city's team, Stade Rochelais.
"I was given a wonderful opportunity, and I was going to grab every moment I could to soak it all up, to enjoy it, and to accept the many challenges that went with it," he said.
Gerry Collins has relived those moments, writing a book about his time in La Rochelle, bringing to life his "unlikely dream". Titled A Fortuitous Foray Into France, the book is part-memoir, part-travelogue, and wholly joie de vivre.
During his sports journalism days, Mr Collins had co-written the biography of Test cricketer Andy Bichel.
"That was all wonderful, but I thought it would be nice to write about something I'd done," Mr Collins said.
So as he reflected on his French sojourn, Mr Collins thought, "There's got to be a book in this".
Gerry Collins sees comparisons between Newcastle and La Rochelle, with both cities being coastal communities, and with industrial ports. While he fell in love with La Rochelle, with its long history, Gerry Collins said Newcastle was way ahead on one count: "It's no doubt our beaches are better."
The mature age student returned from France with a greater proficiency in the language and a diploma to prove it.
He maintains his French ability by listening to radio programs and reading books, so even now, "I can generally have a comfortable conversation".
"I want to maintain my French, in case I run into a Frenchman in the street," Mr Collins said, adding that had actually happened a couple of times in Newcastle.
As he has written about in the book, Gerry Collins returned from France with far more than a diploma and confidence in speaking the language.
"What I have found is that going to La Rochelle has extended my life as far as excitement and interest are concerned," he said.
"When I retired, it might have been tempting to lie on a beach, but I realise now that I would have missed out on something."
He hopes that those who are looking to close one door in life will see that it is the ideal time to open another, no matter what age you may be.
For, as his daughter, Maggie, proudly said of her father's adventure, YOLO (You Only Live Once).
"I think it has really helped me have a positive attitude as I've aged," said the 72-year-old. "And the determination to do everything I can do for as long as I can do it."
For the launch of A Fortuitous Foray Into France, Gerry Collins is going full-circle. One of his University of Newcastle lecturers, Marie-Laure Vuaille-Barcan, is launching the book at the uni's Q Building at Honeysuckle on Monday night.
And he hopes then that readers of his book set off on their own adventure, whatever that may be.
"I hope it inspires people to keep living life, and to keep learning," Mr Collins said.
