Key Points
- New data shows Australians are living up to 14 years longer compared to 54 years ago.
- The number of centenarians in Australia is also on the rise.
- Experts say the research highlights the importance of staying healthy for longer as we age.
At 105, Colin Wagener has a simple philosophy on living well in older age.
"I'm not a genius. I'm just a very ordinary person who's lived a long time," he says, as he prepares to cook a five-spice beef stir-fry for the family.
"Well, if you like something, you go and cook it," he adds. "I've never smoked and drink only a small amount of alcohol."
He remains physically fit, showing a keen interest in sports as a participant rather than a spectator.
Colin Wagener says he has only in the last four months given up riding his motorbike, which has been a lifelong passion. Credit: Colin Wagener
"[The motto is] just keep breathing. And also keep active. In other words, you can't go sitting around all day. You've got to be doing something."
Report tracks rise in Australians living longer, with some reaching 100 and beyond
Colin, who lives in Adelaide, is one of a growing number of centenarians in Australia, recorded in new data released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The report finds life expectancy and the number of Australians reaching the age of 100 and beyond is growing.
The median age at death increased by 11.5 years for males (to 79.6) and 10.9 for females (to 84.9) from 1964-2021. Credit: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data analysis
In the 54 years until 2021, life expectancy increased by up to 14 years for Australians.
For males, that is an additional life span of 13.7 years to reach an average expected age of 81.3. For females, the average expected life span has been extended by 11.2 years to 85.4 years of age.
However, the average life span for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is about 10 years less.
Over a 54-year time period, life expectancy increased by up to 14 years for Australians, although the life span is reduced by around 10 years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Credit: Australian Bureau of Statistics data
"The number of people reaching 100 has increased quite dramatically. In 2021, there were 2,247 Australians who lived past 100. But interestingly, only 31 people made it past 110," Juckes said.
On the measure of average life expectancy at 83.2 years, Australia is ranked fifth among the 38 nations in the intergovernmental group the OECD.
Australia ranks ahead of Scandinavian countries, but behind Japan when it comes to life expectancy. Credit: OECD/AIHW data
So, what's the secret to a long life well-lived?
A love of photography saw Colin trade in his cigarette rations for photography equipment while he was in the Army during World War Two. That enabled him to capture moments from that time, with some of the photos featuring in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Colin served in the Battle of North Borneo, the last large-scale Allied operation of the war and also Australia's largest-ever sea assault.
After serving nearly 2,000 days in the Army, he was awarded the Australian Efficiency Medal.
Colin Wagener sitting in an army jeep during the Battle of North Borneo operation in which Australian troops used land, air and sea resources on the island of Labuan in 1945. Credit: Colin Wagener
"When I came out of the Army, I'd had that much of it, I didn't want to know anything about it," he said.
It was an invitation from the school that he attended to mark an Anzac Day ceremony that made him reconsider.
"I received a message from the school to attend an Anzac Day ceremony and they asked if I would attend and wear my medals. I wore my medals for the first time, 65 years after I got them."
Living through the Great Depression in the 1930s, Colin says he can't pinpoint why he has the positive outlook that he does. It's just something that has followed him throughout his life.
"I look forward to every (single) day. I have got to say every day I have is a bonus, really, can't I?"
Social connection is a big factor showing up in the research, says UNSW psychology professor Kaarin Anstey whose work looks at healthy ageing and dementia epidemiology.
"A released in the last few years shows that loneliness has a bigger impact on public health than obesity. From a health perspective, loneliness has been shown to increase the risk of chronic disease. It also increases the risk of dementia.
"Social connection is about having those rich social networks and social supports."
Genetics or environment?
Professor of neuropsychiatry Perminder Sachdev at UNSW has conducted in Australia. He says genetics is a component when it comes to reaching the age of 100, but the environment plays a role too.
"Whether you die at age 70, 80 or 85, the contribution of genetics is about maybe 20 to 35 per cent of that. But whether you live to 100 or 110, that has a stronger genetic contribution, which may be as much as 40 per cent, " he said.
"So that means 60 per cent is environment and lifestyle. That is where we should be putting our focus on at the moment."
He says researchers use the concept of health span to measure healthy ageing in later years of life.
"The people over 100, they also have a long health span (not just life span). That is also something we see in our study. They stay well until very late in life - well into their 80s and 90s.
"Some of them have escaped chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes et cetera that affect a large proportion of the population as we age."
The 100+ Club is growing in size
Suzanne Walker is the coordinator of the 100+ Club, a social club for those who have reached the age of 100 across Australia. The project launched 30 years ago after an aged care resident expressed a birthday wish to have lunch with someone his own age.
She says centenarians are treasure troves of wisdom and lived experience.
"It is thought-provoking to listen to the experiences people have had from a different time and also to hear their reflections on where the world is now."
Gladys Cavanagh (101), Milla Brassington (101) and Elizabeth Jordan (105) enjoy a cup of tea together at a gathering in Brisbane to mark 30 years of the 100+ Club. In 2016, the club set a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of centenarians - 45. Today, the group has 122 members. Source: Supplied / The 100+ Club
An aged care resident at the Carinity Brookfield Green facility in Queensland, he says he doesn't feel like he is 100.
"I feel good. I have a few medical things they're looking into, but basically I'm feeling pretty good."
He says he draws a lot of joy from music and singing and being with his wife and life partner of 64 years.
"Just live simply. Don't smoke and drink alcohol in moderation."
Stanley Fryer says having reached the milestone of 100 doesn't feel especially different. "I don't have any periods of depression, I am quite happy," he said, adding that the environment and social activities are a big part of that. Source: Supplied / Carinity/Michael Leadbetter
"As a medical orderly, I was on the train that went from Brisbane to Townsville where we picked up the walking wounded from the New Guinea campaign and brought them down to hospitals in Brisbane or up to Toowoomba."
Filmmaker John Winter has been collecting stories of centenarians, including via crowdsourcing submissions, as part of .
Up and running for the last 18 months, the goal is to keep the project going and growing with 22 stories and counting.
"The stories show great diversity, ranging from an Indigenous centenarian Uncle Wes Marne and then there are centenarians who have been born in all sorts of countries," Winter said.
"That is what you would expect because 100 years ago Australia's population was under six million. Many centenarians are immigrants. We're following their story and their lives before they came to Australia as well."
