Alfred Date, Australia’s oldest man at 109 years old, has never found pleasure in refusing to say no. His joy at assisting everyone in need inspired him to create small sweaters for tiny penguins.
Alfred Date was one of the professional knitters chosen from all around the world to create sweaters for penguins to protect them from oil when, in March 2013, following an oil spill, Phillip Island’s Penguin Foundation began looking for help from expert knitters. The sweaters, while adorable on the small penguins, are far from fashionable. Prevent oil from getting on the penguins’ coats so that their feathers don’t clump together and allow water into their inner down layers. As a result, they become extremely cold and disturbed, and their coat thickens to the point where the penguins are unable to hunt.
Alfred Date, no matter his age, will never forget the Titanic’s sinking in 1912, as well as the outbreak of World War I. The “old lad” maintains his sense of humour in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, revealing his secret to living a long life, “getting up every morning.” Another important factor in living a long and happy life is to help others as much as possible. “It’s a fantastic way to get along in life,” Alfie explains. You always meet new people, yet you never make a fool of yourself.”
Alfie is currently residing in a retirement facility on New South Wales’ Central Coast. When the nurses at the facility discovered Alfie’s knitting abilities, they approached him to help them make sweaters for the penguins. Alfie used his 80 years of knitting experience to create sweaters for the penguins out of the thick wool available from the nurses.
When asked why he uses heavy wool, Alfie responds, “If you’re using a ball of light wool, you’re wasting your time.” The foundation’s innovative use of sweaters on penguins saved about 96 percent of the 438 penguins on Philip Island. When the oil spill in 2001 left the public in need, the sweaters appeared to be a success at first.
The penguins (who had previously been bathed in oil) were dressed in jackets by the time they arrived at the foundation to protect them from licking the harmful chemical coats on their feathers. Little penguins are only found in Southern Australia and New Zealand, and Phillip Island is home to 32,000 of them.
Alfie learned to knit eight decades ago, thanks to her sister-in-law, who approached him with knitting needles and wool, intending to make a jumper for her son, who is now “old enough to be your grandfather.” The mission was a success despite Alfie’s first try, so he determined to refine his knitting needle skills. The Penguin Foundation currently has an excess of knitted sweaters given for penguins in stock, so there is no need to request additional knitted sweaters for penguins. Alfie, on the other hand, keeps himself occupied by knitting scarves and beanies for his friends and preterm infants as a means of giving back to his community!
The Penguin Foundation recently confirmed that Alfie is Australia’s oldest man. Countless juvenile penguins now have a second chance at life as a result of his unwillingness to say no. Thank you to the man who never imagined himself crocheting penguin sweaters. “It’s incredible, and we feel very fortunate to have him donating his time and work to the Penguin Foundation.” They said. The sweaters in the images were worn by plush toy penguins. The Penguin Foundation got so many sweaters that they were forced to sell them in order to meet operating expenses.
However, it’s sad to inform everyone of his passing away quietly in a nursing home at the age of 110
