Brisbane, Queensland, Australia - DOB 23.8.1909
At 102, Ruth Frith is the oldest competing athlete in the world, but she will tell you she "doesn't know what all the fuss is about" and "age is just a couple of numbers on a piece of paper". She spent many years of sitting on the sideline "minding everyone else's bags", when at the age of 74 Ruth laced up her running shoes, joined the Australian Masters Athletics and claimed her place in track and field events across Australia and around the world. Despite the fact that Ruth is practically blind and has no competitors in the entire athletics world, she is on a mission to break her own world records. She pushes her personal bests at every meet, in the shot put, discus, javelin, hammer throw and weight events. Ruth is often found pumping iron in her personal gym, or on the sports field with her coach (daughter and dual Olympian, Helen Searle). If you're looking for Ruth, be prepared to move quickly.
Roma, Queensland, Australia - DOB 13.1.1910
Outback author Dexter Kruger told us he "lost a year off his life for each day we filmed" but we're pleased to report that he is "feeling so good now" he "could easily do another 100 years"!
Dexter is up against the ultimate deadline. He's writing what he believes will be his final novel, if he can only hold out to the last page. Though he can't see "beyond the tip of his pen", he insists his books are worthy of the painstaking effort it takes him (and his faithful transcriber, Bob), to put thoughts on paper. He wrote his first book at 86 after the death of his beloved wife, and has penned four novels since. Born and raised in outback Queensland, he has tended cattle for most of his 100 years. Still at home on a quad-bike, Dexter helps drove cattle on his grandson's property in Roma. But writing is "the most important thing" in his life. Ever the salesman, Dexter admits his books are very good – and has used 100+ Club meetings to flog many a copy!
"They're very well worth reading and I think you should buy one!"
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia – DOB 29.8.1907
Olive found the whole filming process intriguing and bewildering at times – particularly when our camera guy put the lights way down the garden to shoot an inside scene. "I wondered what the devil you were up to!" she says. But being the seasoned performer that she is, Olive wasn't too worried by having a film crew stalk her: "Somehow my nature seems to accept things."
Now in her 104th year, Olive has only one regret in life: that she never gave herself the chance to become a professional actress - she was "busy with children" - but at the age of 56 she joined the Queensland Country Women's Association and was involved with their shows
for more than 40 years as an actress, director, singer and writer. Never one to be satisfied without giving her best, Olive was 89 when she first started having singing lessons: "I don't really know how it happened but I just had that feeling I could do better." She lists her second placing at the Brisbane City Council's Senior Superstar Competition as a career highlight.
Although Olive would liked to have had the chance of "doing more important performing work", she says "the impossible dream seems to be going to happen, because I've longed to be on the television and I think I'm going to be on television"!
