Doug Cunningham, from Newcastle in NSW, has celebrated his 100th birthday surrounded by his young man’s dream – 100 women! This was his promise to his troops that he would host a big party with 100 girls if he ever reached the milestone.
The former British army officer made the declaration while he was stationed in India at the start of the War in 1940. Getting to know his troops, he asked them what they planned to do when the war ended.
“One of them said ‘I want to get married and have 10 children’, one wanted to go to university, they all had different things they wanted to do,” he told the ABC.
When they asked him the same, his reply: ‘Well, I hope I can live to be 100 and I want 100 girls at that do.’
A dream becomes reality
After the war, Mr Cunningham eventually moved to Australia where he retired to Newcastle with his wife before she passed away. He admits he never thought he’d reach 100 – or get his party.
But it became a reality last weekend after a check-out operator at his local supermarket asked how old Mr Cunningham was.
“I told her, and she said ‘You’ll soon be 100’ and I said ‘Yes, and I hope 100 girls come to the party’. “And the girls just took that, and said let’s see if we can find 100 girls interested in having a party, and that’s how it started,” he said.
The final tally? 316 women.
And the secret to his long life?
Mr Cunningham believes genes have played a part – his mother lived to 104 and his grandmother to 99 – but he also puts it down to just being with people.
“My mother was a very friendly person. She always said ‘be very friendly with everyone, talk to them and love them’ and that’s what I’ve done all my life.”
We loved this BBC interview with Doug too – have a listen here.
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