Australia is known for its stunning tourist attractions, like the Sydney Opera House, its beautiful and richly diverse landscape, and its interesting wildlife. However, Australia is also known for being home to some of the oldest people in the world, and in this article, we’re going to look more closely at them.
We’re going to take a closer look at the oldest people in the country, where they came from, and how many years they lived. Without further ado, let’s dive right in and take a closer look.
4 Oldest People in Australia
4. Eileen Kramer
Date of birth: 8 November 1914
Age: 109 years
Place of birth: Mosman Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Death date: Still alive
Eileen Kramer is one of the oldest people in Australia at 109 years old. She was the oldest of two kids, and had a difficult childhood. Her father was an alcoholic, and his problems with drinking led to her mother secretly leaving him when Eileen was in her early teens. Some years later, Eileen’s mother remarried, and Eileen moved out of their home as a young adult.
After Eileen moved out of her parent’s house, she went on to live in a house with a psychoanalyst named Richard Want. During this time, she attended the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and studied singing, and worked on the side as a model and an artist to help support herself and pay for her own expenses. Some years later, she joined a professional dance troupe belonging to Gertrud Bodenwieser.
Did you know?
Eileen Kramer was a professional dancer with the Bodenwieser troupe. When she turned 100, Eileen performed a piece that she choreographed herself!
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3. Frank Mawer
Date of birth: 15 August 1912
Age: 110 years
Place of birth: New South Wales, Australia
Death date: 17 September 2022
- Date of birth: 15 August 1912
- Age: 110 years
- Place of birth: New South Wales, Australia
- Death date: 17 September 2022
Frank Mawer was another one of the oldest people in Australia until his passing in 2022. He was born in 1912, and his birth occurred during a particularly devastating period of time in global history: the Spanish influenza. He lost his mother and older brother to this disease, which meant that Frank was forced to become the state’s ward. Some years later, after he was legally old enough, Frank began to work as a laborer on a farm, and after that, he worked at a factory.
He later married his wife Elizabeth, and the two of them had six children together. His wife lived to be 90 years old, and the two of them were married for over 70 years. Frank lived independently until he died.
Did you know?
Frank Mawer died after contracting Covid-19.
2. Ken Weeks
Date of birth: 5 October 1913
Age: 110 years
Place of birth: Grafton, New South Wales, Australia
Death date: Still alive
Ken Weeks is another of the oldest people still alive in Australia! He was born in New South Wales to farmer parents. He was the oldest child out of five siblings, and spent much of his childhood helping his parents out on their farm. After he graduated from high school, Ken worked for a road construction company. He later went on to work at a service station as a mechanic.
It’s interesting to note that Ken wanted to join the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) but his application was unfortunately rejected because of his short stature. However, since he wanted to make a contribution during the Second World War, he helped construct airfields. After the war was over, Ken went on to work in the field of radio and electronic, and ran his own business! He also worked as a milk bar owner, a bus driver, and he even worked in an electoral office.
Did you know?
Ken Weeks is the oldest living person in Australia.
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1. Catherina van der Linden
Date of birth: 26 August 1912
Age: 111 years
Place of birth: Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands
Death date: 26 January 2024
Catherina van der Linden was one of the oldest people in Australia. Although she lived in this country for most of her life, she was born in the Netherlands. She got married when she was 28 years old to Johannes (John) Wouterus van der Linden, and they had four children together. When she was 43, she moved to Australia with her family on a ship called the Johan Van Oldenbarnevelt. However, she was shocked at how different life was in Australia, and returned to the Netherlands again after a year and a half.
Later on, Catherina went back to Australia and lived there for the rest of her life, even though she previously stated that she would never return to Australia at all! Her husband died when he was only 70, and Catherina went on to live for over 30 years after his passing.
Did you know?
Catherina van der Linden continued to take care of her health even after she crossed a century! According to her family, she went to the gym three times a week, and was known to be extremely physically fit.
Conclusion
In this article, we looked at some of the oldest people that Australia has ever seen! As you can see from this article, all of these people lived hugely fascinating lives that spanned more than 10 decades on this earth. We’re sure that all of these people have enough stories to fill several books, particularly since all of them lived through several major global events. We hope that you enjoyed reading about these older people, and that you learned something new from this article today!
