Dexter Kruger, born in Nundah, has officially become the oldest man in Australia in 2021 at 111 years old.
Born in Nundah on the 13th of January 1910, the 111-year-old Dexter Kruger has officially become the oldest living man in Australia. Over the course of his life, he lived with his siblings at Sheep Station Creek near Kilcoy. He sold cattle at the age of 16 before acquiring his own farmland in his twenties.
In 1942, he married Gladys Beanland and had one child together, Greg. Decades after his wife had passed, he moved into the Pinaroo Roma Nursing Home in Roma, Queensland where he remains to this day.
According to Dexter, his long life came about as a result of his dietary habits. He attributes his longevity to living close to nature, eating whatever he grew in the garden, the orchard, or the farm, and living a relatively simple life. He even gave credit to one curious delicacy, chicken brains, for helping him with live long and healthy.
Dexter’s son, Greg Kruger, commented that his simple lifestyle and balanced diet consisted of eating plenty of salt, sugar and fat, and that the period in which he lived and grew up in was a lot less stressful than what society has to offer in modern times. Dexter was content being around horses and cattle rather than chasing after a busy and active life in big cities, and he rarely smoked or drank and he’s never been overweight due to the active lifestyle he lives.
In fact, even Dexter’s cognitive functions seem to be sharper than many residents in his aged care community — even the ones up to 20 years his junior. According to Melanie Calvert, Manager at the Pinaroo Roma Nursing Home aged care facility, his memory is amazing, and that he was strong in the face of adversity which made him sharp and goal-oriented.
Because he drives himself to write books and achieve milestones, his wit never dulls. His passion for writing came about at the age of 86, after the death of his wife in the 1990s. Dexter writes books and poetry to this day at his nursing home, located at 50 Bowen St, Roma.
