At my first class, we sang Barbara “Happy Birthday”. She was turning 80, doing fly-kicks underwater with the rest of us – and I’m almost certain she was not the only Barbara present.
That’s the main demographic for aqua aerobics at the Manly’s Andrew Boy Charlton aquatic centre in Sydney: women born in the era of Barbaras, Margarets and Gladyses, many of them wearing a full face of makeup and gold earrings. They keep their faces immaculate by extending their necks and keeping their heads above water (I’ve asked).
