For 22 years, Genevieve Bakker was a familiar voice on the phone to hundreds of Accor Hotel members around New Zealand. From her office over-looking the Auckland Harbour, she welcomed new members, renewed old ones and made lifelong friends along the way. And she has only just retired – at the sprightly age of 90.
“I never thought I would reach the age I am and still be working,” marvels Genevieve.
“It seems like a dream at the moment, wondering, ‘Have I really retired?’ It’s only been a few weeks, so I feel as if I’m just on holiday.”
Genevieve found her vocation later in life. She had worked briefly at a bank in her youth before heading abroad on her big OE, eventually settling down and marrying Air Force man Kees Bakker, then raising their daughter Michelle.
Life on the move
“My husband did a lot of travelling and I used to go with him,” she shares.
“Then one day, I felt inspired to be back in the workforce.”
A matriarch at work
Nervous but excited before taking the consultant role at 68, it turned out to be a life-changing decision, helping her build an unshakeable inner confidence and connect with people from all walks of life.
Widowed in 2009, Genevieve took on a matriarchal role in the office, inspiring and supporting her younger colleagues.
Michelle recalls, “One day when I went to meet her after work, everyone came down in the lift and was crying because Mum was thinking of retiring.”
When it finally came time for her farewell in September, it was a night to remember.
An unforgettable retirement
“My retirement was unbelievable,” she enthuses.
“We had it at the Mövenpick Hotel, and my big boss from Australia arrived and surprised me. “They had a TV playing photos from our trips away over the years, then the next minute my granddaughter Luka comes on, saying, ‘Nana, you’ve taught me that in life nothing is impossible and anyone can do anything if they want to.’ I’ll always remember that.”
Family at the centre
Genevieve says she wasn’t the only one in the room wiping away tears. She considers Michelle and Luka, 28, her greatest achievements and the centre of her world.
“To think I’m still alive, and enjoying my daughter and granddaughter, it’s amazing,” she admits.
Clearly just as proud of her mum, music manager and transformational coach Michelle believes Genevieve’s secret to longevity lies in her optimistic outlook on life.
Choosing joy every day
“What keeps her really healthy is she chooses joy all the time. She is absolutely full of positive energy and doesn’t let anything get to her that she can’t control. If things are happening around her that are heavy or negative, she just lets it go and doesn’t sweat the small stuff.”
Genevieve is also an advocate of rising early, daily movement and a strong social life.
“I wake at 4am, say my prayers and go swim for about an hour. It’s a good way to start the day – go to the sauna, have breakfast, do chores, then meet up with the girls for a coffee.”
Always immaculately styled, Genevieve lives independently in an inner-city Auckland apartment, where she’s friends with just about everyone and has become affectionately known as “Miss Downtown”.
Weekly “flavours” with friends
On Thursdays, she gathers the gang at one of their favourite hotel bars for what she calls “a flavour” – their weekly cocktail together and a way to stay connected to her meaningful hotel career.
International travel for work has been a life highlight and a passion she has no plans to give up. This year, Genevieve celebrated her birthday with a special family trip to Samoa, her mother’s homeland.
She tells, “It was like being in paradise, swimming every day and sightseeing. I will return.”
Never one to shy away from new experiences, Genevieve even followed Michelle’s encouragement to join talent agency Monarch People, which her daughter is also signed to. Michelle says Genevieve is a natural in front of the camera at auditions, laughing, “She’s had more callbacks than me!”
Content with all she’s achieved, Genevieve’s plan now is to keep enjoying life for as long as possible with friends and family, and to embrace new opportunities whenever she can. Insisting there’s nothing left on her bucket list, rugby mad Genevieve pauses with a glint in her eye, “Except being in an All Blacks commercial – I’d like to do that!”
