Alfred (Alfie) Date, might not be with us today, but what he left in his legacy is the idea of ‘age is just a number’. The oldest man of Australia spent his days knitting small wool sweaters for injured penguins in the time of crisis.
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In 2001, when an oil spill disaster struck, the wildlife clinic at Phillip Island Nature Park was prepared, with hundreds of little wool sweaters on hand.
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Shortly after transferring into a care home in southwest Australia, Alfie began knitting the ‘easy single-rib and double-rib sweaters.’
Just read about Australia’s oldest man. He’s called Alfie Dates, he’s 109 and he knits really lovely tiny sweaters for injured penguins. pic.twitter.com/Lc3uxNIzmW
— Lisa Allen (@LisaTheAllen) February 20, 2021
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How much penguinny cuteness can one fit into a single day? 😂
— Charlton Hardick (@czarleehall) February 20, 2021
When he discovered he had a flair for knitting, two nurses approached him, regarding the Phillip Island Nature Park, to gauge his interest in knitting for the penguins.
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isnt it just lovely? we need some lovely just now I reckon xx
— xbeldaran 🏴🏴💙🍒 (@xbeldaran29) February 20, 2021
I make you right. 109 and he can still knit thats wonderful. I have kept the pictures to look at now and then.
— Annie T Delaney 💙🌹⚫ #FBPE (@AnneDel81230567) February 20, 2021
483 little penguins were taken to the rehabilitation centre after a spill on Phillip Island, with 96% of them being released back into the wild.
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The centre eventually didn’t require any more penguin sweaters, but the fact that so many small penguins’ lives were spared because to Alfie’s efforts cannot be forgotten.
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