Sydney's Oldest Barbers: Still Going Strong

In a corner below the ground floor of Sydney's near-century-old Cyprus Community Club in the city's inner west, one of Sydney's oldest barbers, Kyriakos Vasilis, is at work. Armed with scissors and a comb in a small barber shop he built in the club's dining hall in 1993, he is giving Arthur a trim. At 87, Mr Vasilis might be Sydney's oldest barber, but he insists he isn't working.

\"Hairdressing is not a job. Hairdressing is an art,\" Mr Vasilis says. Despite officially retiring 15 years ago, he regularly cuts the hair of members of the Cypriot community in his little shop for no charge. He says they might buy him a drink later as payment in kind, but he doesn't expect it.

Despite health scares, including battling prostate cancer and having a seizure two years ago, Mr Vasilis finds the work manageable. He also occasionally works at a barber shop run by his friend Con Apostolopoulos, who at 84, is just a few years younger than him. Mr Apostolopoulos, who has been cutting hair in Sydney for 60 years, sees no point in retiring.

Another veteran barber, Guido Piccirilli, started working in his St Mary's barber shop in Western Sydney in 1962. Now 78, he continues to work for the social aspect of the job. Like Mr Vasilis and Mr Apostolopoulos, it's the interactions with customers that keep him going.

Australians are increasingly working into their old age, with the workforce participation rate of Australians aged 65 and over more than doubling from 6.1% in 2000 to 15% in 2021. This trend could be beneficial to the modern workplace, according to Patricia Sparrow, CEO of the Council on the Ageing (COTA).

The older barbers mentioned a sense of purpose as their main motivation to continue working. For them, retirement would mean losing that sense of purpose and the social interactions that come with the job. They find fulfillment in their work and enjoy the connections they make with their clients.

According to the source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.