Australia's oldest man Ken Weeks celebrates 113th birthday with vintage car ride

Ken Weeks, Australia's oldest man, celebrated his 113th birthday in style with a ride in a vintage car around his hometown of Grafton.

As he marked this milestone birthday, Mr. Weeks stuck to his routine, which his family credits for his longevity. "Even now in the [nursing] home if he can do it for himself, he will want to continue to do that," his granddaughter Eunice Weeks said. "So, he wants to feed himself, he's still organising his bed, he knows where all his clothes are and he likes to choose his own clothes."

Residents at Whiddon Residential Care lined the corridor as Mr. Weeks stepped out for his birthday drive. LongeviQuest lists him officially as the second oldest man in the world.

For the first time, Mr. Weeks crossed paths with the world's oldest man, 114-year-old Joao Marinho Neto from Brazil, who shares the same birthday, October 5. This year, they sent each other a birthday wish.

"Happy Birthday Joao," Mr. Weeks said in a video message taken at his nursing home in Grafton.

A simple life

Mr. Weeks' extraordinary life span is attributed to his simple lifestyle. "He lived a plain simple life, no drinking, no smoking, though he ate white bread. He wasn't into today's health stuff, not very much sweet stuff, but it was all plain simple food," his son Ian Weeks said.

Keeping active is at the heart of everything Mr. Weeks does. While his body is fit and relatively agile, his voice has been affected by 113 years of use. "He has trouble talking [and] he doesn't speak very well," Ian Weeks said.

Eunice Weeks described her grandfather as "gentle", "kind" and a man of habit. These habits continued when he moved into Whiddon Residential Care, aged 105 years old.

At 113 years old, Mr. Weeks still does as much as he can for himself. The facility's residential services manager Sandra Osborne said Mr. Weeks was still active. "He has a set routine every day. He continues to do his exercises, even though at 113 his mobility has decreased a little bit, but he still manages to do two laps of the upstairs floor, twice a day. He's just amazing," she said.

Independence, curiosity, spirituality

Mr. Weeks' family says he is always willing to try new things. "He's also still curious about the world. He still listens to the news and he will have questions about what is going on in the world, so I see his cognitive ability really shining through. He is interested in something beyond his care home and he is still talking about the news and world events," Ms. Weeks said.

"He has this solid faith that God is with him and he will express that 'God walks with him' and cares for him, and I think that faith in God is sustaining him, so he is spiritually at peace."

Ms. Weeks said her grandfather was a jack of all trades. "He did one thing and it didn't quite work, and he tried another thing and then he built a fishing boat, and then he had a shop, and then he worked for the electoral office. He just kept on working, so in a lot of ways he's that typical Aussie battler," she said.

Driving in cars

Mr. Weeks has always loved to tinker with things, building boats, fixing cars, so it was fitting he spent his 113th birthday in a vintage car. His family organised a trip down memory lane, driving around his old haunts, including his school, which he attended more than 100 years ago.

"The memories are still there, but it takes more time for them to come back. He remembers his childhood really well and his young adulthood well," Ms. Weeks said. "When he came out and saw everybody waiting with the vintage car, he said, 'Oh, it's all just too much', but with a big grin on his face."

More Australians set to live longer

Celebrating 113 years might seem unusual but Australians should get ready to stockpile the candles. According to projections by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more Australians are estimated to reach the ripe old age of 100 years or more. In 2019, there were about 4,300 people aged over 100. Today, there are more than 8,300. By 2070, the ABS estimates there will be close to 60,000 people aged 100 years or more.

Ms. Weeks said her grandfather's longevity surprises her. "He's just an ordinary person. He grew up in a country town, he had a family, he worked different jobs, consistently hard, industrious work but he wasn't remarkable. So, it's remarkable that an ordinary man has lived this long. I'm just thankful that he's also my grandfather."