Dear Friends of the Pig’s Arms,

Some of our patrons may remember  an article written for the Australian Lung Foundation that we re-published – Lungevity in January 2010 – by Gay Lysenko – a long time great friend of Emmjay and FM.

I’m very sorry to bring the sad news that Gay passed away last week after a long struggle with cancer. We send our condolences to John and sons.

Gay was a brilliant and delightful woman who brought sunshine and champagne into the lives of those she met.  She was an avid collector and dealer of fine art and she re-awakened in FM and me a keen interest in the arts.

We will remember with great fondness always her generosity and her mischievous sense of humour.

This piece in the Australian (April 16 2007) by Sarah Elks captures a glimpse.

Goodbye old friend with love from Emm and FM.

Boomers put sex on the table

Open intimacy ... Gay and John Lysenko still enjoy a robust sex life. Picture: Amy Brown

BABY boomers are shattering stereotypes by having more sex in their 60s than previous older generations.

One of Australia’s leading sexual health physicians, Lesley Yee, who will lecture at the World Congress of Sexual Health in Sydney this week, said baby boomers were also more open about it.

“This generation grew up with the pill and are used to more open communication about sex,” Dr Yee said.

“Now, they’re challenging earlier conservative attitudes about older people’s sexuality.”

John and Gay Lysenko, in their late 50s, are living proof that physical intimacy does not have to diminish with age.

Over a long lunch with friends yesterday in a leafy northern suburb of Sydney, Gay said sexuality was an integral part of any loving relationship.

“In our home, John and I are very happy to close our bedroom door on a weekend afternoon if we want to have the afternoon in bed,” she said.

“We’re not self-conscious … it’s just a natural part of any relationship.”

Dr Yee said one major stumbling block for baby boomer couples was the reconciliation between physical capabilities and emotional desires.

“There’s an expectation that things will be the same as they were 20 or 30 years ago … and that desire is not always attainable physically,” she said.

John Lysenko said: “A lot of baby boomers don’t feel that they’re old … You just go on thinking the same as you always did and doing the same, until your body catches up with you.”

Gay added that sexuality was a major part of expressing love.

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