102 healthy years

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Chris Oberholster of Mossel Bay turned 102 on 11 March.

He is a resident of the frail care section at Bardolino Retirement and Lifestyle Village in Dias.

His daughter, Hettie Theron, says he enjoys really good health, with no pain. He is only weak and hard of hearing, owing to his age. "But further than that, there is absolutely nothing wrong with him. He does not even catch a cold."

Never drank nor smoked
Hettie says: "He always lived healthily and never drank nor smoked. He worked very hard."

She also attributes his longevity to "grace".

Chris had two stock farms in Namibia, where he was born. He farmed sheep and cattle.

In 1983 he came to the Garden Route to retire and lived in Wilderness Heights with Hettie and her family before he became frail in May 2022 and moved to Bardolino Retirement and Lifestyle Village.

Chris was one of the first residents when Bardolino opened.

Hettie is Chris' only child. His other child, Hettie's brother, passed away in 1973.

Hettie has two sons. Hettie's mom, Tina, passed away in a car accident in 1996.

"My dad always loved reading and gardening. He loved planting things. He was always sociable and loved people and visiting them." Hettie says Chris has always had a positive outlook on life.

She says that over the years many people have remarked that her father looks just like the actor, Kirk Douglas. Kirk was actor Michael Douglas' father.

Enjoyed meat
Chris has always enjoyed meat, biltong and braaivleis, but also vegetables and fruit.

Hettie says: "He grew up having lots of meat and normal boerekos. He likes the fat on meat. He has always said it's the best part. He doesn't like lean meat."

He also ate plenty of game on the farm, because he loved hunting. Every year biltong and sausage were made on the farm.

He fought in Egypt in the Second World War from 1942 to 1945.

Chris Oberholster