Gosnells resident David Bunning has spoken to The Examiner about his 100 remarkable years of life.
Currently residing at Buckley Caring Centre, Mr Bunning celebrated his 100th birthday on 27 July, with a host of very close and loyal friends and family in attendance.
He was born in 1926 in the small town of Stratford on New Zealand’s North Island and has one younger sister.
“Growing up in the 1930s, we didn’t have very much, but you know, you just got on with it. My father was a dairy farmer. We moved away from Stratford when I was about 12 months old,” he said.
Mr Bunning says he still recalls hearing of many of the historic events that defined the first half of the 1940s, such as the announcement of Hitler’s death and the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“We couldn’t wait to receive news on the radio. There was always a level of fear that New Zealand would be invaded by Japan, especially after what happened in Australia with the bombing of Darwin.”
Although called up to serve after turning 18, Mr Bunning was not deployed before the war’s end. He performed various service activities at home, such as agricultural work.
After finishing high school, he got work through contacts in a hardware store in the city of Hamilton, where he gained experience as a sheet metal worker. However, he would go on to pursue an apprenticeship in plumbing, eventually gaining a trade in the industry.
After meeting a girl at a dance hall in their 20s, Mr Bunning decided to tie the knot. The couple would go on to have two children, a son and a daughter.
Throughout his long life, Mr Bunning describes motorbikes as having always been one of his greatest passions.
“I had motorbikes since my days as an apprentice. I remember once, we assembled, and painted, an Indian from scratch. I’ve always loved that brand, Indian.”
Being a technical thinker and rounded handyman, he has maintained his interest in motorcycles from his retirement until the present day. At his 100th birthday, his sole remaining Indian was brought along to the event.
“I couldn’t part with that one even when I could no longer ride it. Even though I’ve had many over the years, I always loved that one. We keep it at a friend’s place now.”
Following his retirement in the 1990s, Mr Bunning made the move to Perth, where he has since lived to be closer to his daughter, Lynette.
However, the family would face tragedy with the loss of David’s son in 2004. His wife also passed in 2009. Although the grief caused by these events was overwhelming, Mr Bunning has maintained a strong relationship with his daughter Lynette and partner Olga, whom he has known for 16 years and met while carpet bowling.
“My father really is amazing. He lived on his own and drove a car until just a few years ago, when he was living in Willetton. Earlier in his life, when he was still in New Zealand, he even built the family house,” Mr Bunning’s daughter Lynette said.
Day to day, Mr Bunning said he passes time at Buckley Caring Centre socialising with other residents, going on outings with his partner and daughter, paying the occasional trip to the pub and, of course, reading up on all things motorcycle related. He is described as an identity in the care home.
When asked what his key to longevity was, Mr Bunning says he believes it stemmed from never being a smoker, mild alcohol consumption, a consistent routine throughout his life with plenty of work that he enjoyed and a stubborn desire to keep doing what he was doing. He also grew much of the food his family consumed in their own garden.
