Today, she has nine children and stepkids, aged between from 18 and 31, she also has two grandchildren, aged seven and two, and a younger female partner. She is, for her part, very happy to be a punk grandma. But Cutter dislikes it when people tell her they “used to be” a punk. “It’s not about the hair colour and the piercings you once had, it’s about an attitude: thinking for yourself and not accepting authority.” It’s an inward rebellion, Cutter says, that surely applies at any age.

In February, 67-year-old former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon competed to represent Ireland in the Eurovision song contest with his hit, Hawaii, a love letter to his wife of 44 years, Nora Forster, who was living with Alzheimer’s disease (sadly she died on 6 April). Lydon lost out to shiny man-band Wild Youth, but his bid was a watershed for the generation for whom he was a standard-bearer, says David Amigoni, who researches later-life creativity at Keele University. “The new 60-somethings are finding that the field of creative possibilities for their later years are broader than ever – from theatre to music and art.” The second myth is that in retirement, you’ll have enough money. This is also untrue. When you retire at 65, you could go on to live another 30 years. How will you fund retirement? And finally, probably the most important myth to bust is that retirement will make you happy and healthy. The statistics actually reveal a significant increase in depression, illness, loneliness and social disengagement in retirement.Maff has also worked front line and ran the largest homeless services in the country for The Salvation Army as well as being CEO of award winning organization “People Can” which used asset based methods across homelessness, criminal justice, domestic violence and addiction services. The key, Siobhan insists, is to face ageing with a positive attitude. “I’m not saying to be as crazy as me and get rid of all your possessions and your home. But think outside the box and try to age in a way where you’re living, not just existing,” Siobhan advises. “A couple of women I know have made pacts with their daughters to go on an adventure together twice a year, and I thought that was a great idea to bring generations together.” Definitely not retired. I stepped down from my job as an actuary this year after 30 years. I loved that role, but life is short and I wanted to take on some other challenges before the opportunity to do that slipped away. The DARE Method™ is a must-do gem. Now, I am newly inspired to begin the journey of chronicling my life with the purposeful aspiration of touching the hearts of others. George Jerjian helped me reach this point, with his warm and compassionate teaching style. He is skilled and experienced in guiding fledgling retirees along the road to a deeply satisfying and fulfilling future.” I’m in a state of excited anticipation. The exercises and expert guidance enabled me to ‘drill down’ to my inner most thoughts and beliefs, and examine them, allowing some to be released and new ideas to begin to formulate. This ultimately has given me a new perspective and a starting point for the next chapter in my life.”

Approaching retirement and frustrated with her job, Siobhan Daniels made a BIG decision: to start living life on her own terms.A truly great book, a story of not only drug addiction but also the strength of the human spirit, told with humour and honesty. - Dave I spent years worrying what other people thought and now I just want to be loud and take up space and be totally myself,” she says. She sees a similar sentiment in many women in her age group, for whom the confidence of later life is combining with a desire to set boundaries around one’s time and efforts, whether that’s rejecting grandparental childcare or being the go-to event caterer out of a materfamilias sense of duty. “We’re exiting relationships that no longer serve us, we’re saying no to things we don’t want to do; we’re cutting people out of our lives who don’t make us feel good,” she adds. “There’s a new mood and that mood is about grabbing life by the wotsits.” It’s about an attitude, thinking for yourself and not accepting authority’: Frank Cutter. Photograph: Perou/The Observer