But Australia’s Ambassador for Ageing – and showbusiness icon – Noeline Brown won’t hear of it.

The former star of the Mavis Bramston Show, the Naked Vicar Show and Blankety Blanks is also set to take the stage in July as the cantankerous Maggie Beare in Mother and Son.

And, while speaking at a UFS Pharmacies ‘A Women’s Evening”’ on Wednesday night, she had a positive message for Ballarat’s ageing population.

“You need to keep active and you need to keep involved in the community,” she said.

Asked how she stays fit, Ms Brown keeps it simple.

“I do a lot of walking – and I carry a lot of suitcases in and out of taxis.

“I always keep moving. I don’t sit at the computer all day, even though I love my computer.”

Ms Brown also stressed the importance of keeping up-to-date with technology.

“You might be OK now but when your health is challenged, it’s great to keep in touch with family and friends.”

Ms Brown was appointed Australia’s Ambassador for Ageing in 2008 and travels the country promoting government initiatives such as flu shots, bowel screening and eHealth.

However, her roles occasionally collide, as she pulls her Mother and Son script out of her bag, admitting she is hoping to “absorb it through osmosis”.

Ms Brown attributes her interest in social justice issues, such as ageing, the arts and health, to her Sydney blue-collar background.

At 15, she became an assistant librarian, which gave her the push she needed to get into the arts, scoring the starring role in her first play.

“My family thought I was very suited to being a librarian because even when I was peeling the potatoes, I would be reading the newspaper they were sitting on.

“Now I get paid to do a job I love.”

fiona.henderson@fairfaxmedia.com.au