Dexter Kruger, the oldest person in Australia, has died peacefully following a brief illness at age 111 years and 188 days. Born in Nundah, the former outback grazier was living in an aged care facility in Roma until his passing on 20 July 2021.
On May 17, 2021, Dexter entered the Guinness Book of Records after he became the oldest living person in the country when he turned 111 years and 124 days old, overtaking Jack Lockett, a World War 1 veteran, who passed away in 2002 at 111 years and 123 days old.
Dexter Ronald Kruger was born on January 13, 1910, before the invention of the refrigerator. He was one of the pioneers of liveweight cattle selling system and ran a sheep farm with his siblings in Kilcoy.
He was married to Gladys Beanland for more than 50 years and they had one son, Gregory. Gladys passed away in the 1990s.
Highlights
- Dexter Ronald Kruger, born in Nundah in 1910, became the oldest person in Australia at 111 years old and 188 days.
- He passed away on 20 July 2021.
- He lived most of his life as a cattle ranch farmer and didn’t retire until his 90s.
- Dexter once said the secret to his long life was to live close to nature and eat crops from his farm and orchard.
For much of his life, Dexter was into farming and managed a 5,300-hectare cattle ranch in Maranoa until his 90s. Upon receiving his Guinness in May, Dexter said that his secret to longevity was to live close to nature and ate mostly what he grew in his orchard and farm.
Surviving two World Wars, the Great Depression, Australia’s droughts and the pandemic, Dexter said that the world today is not a nicer place as people have too much money “to spend on rubbish.” He said that as much as computerised technology delivered marvellous things, life was more relaxed back in the day.
His son said that his father was happiest around horses and cattle and was always up and with by following a healthy diet and lifestyle. However, longevity also runs in the family as Dexter had cousins and an aunt that lived to be 100.
Following his retirement, Dexter Kruger completed writing 12 books, including an autobiography, which were all purchased by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in 2019 as an addition to the State Library of Queensland.
“His long and fruitful life, including his achievements as a centenarian poet and author, was an inspiration to every Queenslander,” the premier said. “Dexter showed us all that you’re never too old to achieve your goals.
“It’s fitting that we will have a permanent record of his remarkable life in his books which are now part of the State Library collection. I extend my condolences to his family at this time.”
