Could this story be any more perfect? No. No it could not.
Imagine being 109.
Assuming you retired in your 60’s, what would you do with your time? Read? Watch TV? Explore the world?
This man, Australia’s oldest living human, has been knitting jumpers for injured penguins. As you do.
Alfred ‘Alfie’ Date of the NSW’s Central Coast, spoke to Nine News about how his hobby was formed.
The prolific knitter began knitting in 1932 when his sister-in-law taught him how to knit a jumper for his newborn nephew.
“She said knit me a jumper,” Alfie recalled. “And that was my first effort — a jumper for the boy.”
Alfie began to put his hobby to good use after Victoria’s Phillip Island Penguin Foundation sent out a public request the miniature jersey’s to aid in the survival of Little penguins after an oil spill.
Alfie’s nurses saw the request and suggested that he take part.
“The girls who used to work for me, they’ll tell you I’m a sucker. I can’t say no,” said Alfie.
“It’s a good way of getting along in life. You make friends all the time but you don’t make a fool of yourself either.”
Alfie Date: Nailing life.
Top Comments
Love the Penguin Books penguin. My daughter nearly died from squealing, they're so cute!
This is a lovely story, but just before anyone else starts knitting for the penguins, I too saw a story (last year) that these jumpers were knitted so I and some friends started knitting jumpers for them but it turned out that they were inundated with them, so I've now got some penguin jumpers sitting around with nowhere to go! I'm sure Alfie's jumpers will be made use of, but just double check before you start making them because I know last year they didn't want anymore.