This WA Seniors Week, we’re celebrating some of the extraordinary people within Southern Cross Care WA.
This WA Seniors Week, we’re celebrating some of the extraordinary people within Southern Cross Care WA.
At 100 years old, resident John credits two lifelong passions for keeping him well: exercise and music.
Five mornings a week, John heads to the gym at 6.30am, spending around 45 minutes on the rowing machine, exercise bikes and weights. He has been a member of the same gym for more than 20 years and is often the oldest person there by several decades.
“People say, ‘What are you doing here?’ and I say, ‘I like it!’” John said.
John’s commitment to exercise began at school in England, where a sports teacher encouraged students to stay active through regular gymnastics and exercise.
“I suppose I’ve been fond of exercise and gymnastics all my life. Maybe that’s why I lasted this long,” he said.
His trainer, Raymond Li, says regular exercise has played an important role in John’s longevity.
“It’s a great example of how simple, regular exercise can make a big difference to long-term health and quality of life.”
Music has also remained a constant throughout John’s life. Every fortnight, he plays the flute at Holy Family Church in Kalamunda, where he and his late wife, Miriam, joined the congregation many years ago.
John has led an extraordinary life. After being called up to the British Army in 1944, he served in Singapore before later migrating to Australia with Miriam in 1969. The couple built a life in Kalamunda, where they lived for more than 40 years and formed friendships that continue to this day.
After moving to Donovan Village, John has been able to stay connected to the community he knows so well, regularly catching up with friends from those early years in Western Australia.
John recently celebrated his 100th birthday and received a letter from King Charles III.
And when people hear his age?
“Everybody says, ‘You don’t look 100!” John said..
