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Pensioner of the Month
Roland Richardson & Mayra Martina
In Pensioner of the Month, we ask pensioners about retired life. Is it everything they expected? And what can they teach us about our days to come?
In this edition, we meet up with Roland Richardson & Mayra Martina, who after extensive careers in Sint Maarten at the Tax Office (Roland) and a number of years at the Ministry of VSA (Mayra) moved to Curaçao, where they already knew each other as young adults.
“We only became a couple when we were both studying and living in The Netherlands,” explains Mr. Richardson. “Mayra was just a girl I knew when we were young adults in Curaçao. Who knew we would come to live in Sint Maarten as a couple for over 25 years, only to return to the place we first met?”
Mr. Richardson worked for the Inspectorate Department of Tax Administration Sint Maarten for over 21 years, excluding the time spent working and studying in the Netherlands for the, then, Netherlands Antilles. During his working life and after retirement, he continued volunteering at the Foundation Judicial Institutes St. Maarten (SJIS), where he eventually became a staff member. Mrs. Martina started out as a part-time nurse at the Sint Maarten Medical Center after moving to Sint Maarten and later went on to work for the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor Affairs (VSA) at Youth Health Care. Mrs. Martina considers this the best part of her career. They have a daughter and a son, both of whom grew up in Sint Maarten.
Every day, the Richardsons get up at 6 AM to start the day with a brisk walk. They also spend a fair amount of time doing volunteer work. Mrs. Martina works for Victim Support Curaçao and volunteers at a foundation fondly called the ‘Boekenbank,’ as books are their main merchandise. Mr. Richardson volunteers at a hospice near his house.
‘For most people, their income will be less than before retirement. So be wise with your finances.’
“It is important to make a plan for what you will do with that enormous amount of free time on your hands when you retire. It seems like a lifetime away, but it will be here before you know it. Also, for most people, their income will be less than before retirement. So be wise with your finances. Here in Sint Maarten, where I still have a lot of relatives, I see that pensioners must adapt their lifestyles to their new income, which, by the way, will not or hardly grow anymore. It is not like a salary that increases over time; once you are on pension, your monthly payout stays pretty much the same for the rest of your life, which could span maybe 30 years or so for some of us. This point should actually be emphasized to the currently working population.”
Mrs. Martina agrees. “The idea that life starts with retirement is nonsense. Pension is overrated – the notion that you can do whatever you want when you retire is not the reality for most people, because their income and/or health is not sufficient to, for example, travel the world. It would actually be ideal if those who want to work longer should be enabled to.”
“Make plans, create new hobbies, take courses and learn new things, work as a volunteer or find paid work, be physically active, and monitor your health. With aging, less pleasant issues may arise, but they don’t have to be a reason to sit back and do nothing. On the contrary! Enjoy the people around you or make new friends. As for myself, I walk every day with my husband, do aqua fitness, and have two volunteer jobs that I enjoy very much. I’ve always read a lot and still do, so the ‘boekenbank’ is heaven for me. To my huge surprise, I enjoy working in the garden, something I never thought I would.”
Mr. Richardson adds, “What I personally enjoy most about retired life is that I am more conscious of my time and more grateful than ever to be alive. Every day is another day won, in a way. I also find that you get back what you have given in your former working life. If you have always made an effort for your colleagues, friends, and family when you were still working, they will do the same for you when called upon.”
