Two years ago I was lucky enough to meet this gentleman and we did a story. He’s from Port Macquarie but visits the Northern rivers to see his family for Christmas. I caught up with him again this week. I told him I will track him down in another 2 years. He is 94 and I adore him. Our first story in comments.
Uncle Roy – “ I’m spending Christmas here with the country poobahs in Tintenbar, I hired a caravan and towed it up here so I have somewhere to sleep because the place is full of poobahsI
I hired another camper-van last year and toured the Sunshine Coast for 2 weeks on my own. I also went to New Zealand. I have a mate who is in a nursing home and he’s stuck in a room 9 x 6 foot so I hired a car and asked him where he wanted to go for a day trip. Seven days later I was still driving him around. It was fantastic. We went all over the North Island. His name is John Coleman and we were together in car rallies back in the day. He was a navigator and I was the driver. He has trouble with his legs but he gets around in one of those 4 wheel scooters he calls his Lamborghini.
I still live on my own, still have an unrestricted license. I got my first speeding ticket when I was in WA recently. I was doing 48 in a 40 zone, I was slowing down, never booked in 75 years and they still gave me a $220 fine.
I still cook for myself. My microwave and my slow cooker are my favourite companions. I love casseroles. I’ve banned one niece from my kitchen. She left me some frozen meals and I drank the well dry. Everything was so hot and spicy.
The last two ANZAC marches there’s only been half a dozen of us left from the 2nd world war. One of the fellows last year and one the year before were doing it tough to march to the end so I took them aside, took care of them and got them to an ambo so I didn’t get to the finish. I made it but not in the march.
I still get to golf twice a week so I can’t complain. I’m the oldest playing member in the club. I bought a golf cart I can put on the back of my trailer and tow to golf. The other day I hooked up the trailer and was on my way to golf, looked in the rear view mirror and there’s no cart. It’s a sign of my age
What are your plans for 2018 ?
I haven’t got any! Have you got any plans? ( laughs).
I might go to Norfolk Island. I had to ride a pushbike when I went to Lord Howe so soon as I got back I got on Gumtree and bought a mountain bike. I wanted to go swimming so I bought a rashy, a pair of boardies and a surfer plane because I kept sinking.
I’m trying to sell my 36’ cruiser. I can still manage it and do everything I want to but I’m getting a bit long in the tooth to be walking around the deck, slipping and falling. I bought a little half cabin I go fishing in.
I turned 94 on the 16th December. My late wife said Sagittarians are all good salesmen, that’s why I had a motor business and a real estate business. She reckons I did the biggest sale job on her. Her mother tried to talk me out of marrying her. She said, If you marry Joan you’ll be sorry! We had 64 beautiful years together.”