https://longeviquest.com/2024/12/james-easton-doyen-of-new-zealand-celebrates-his-108th-birthday/

James Easton, Doyen of New Zealand, Celebrates His 108th Birthday

James Easton, a resident of Auckland, and the oldest living man in New Zealand, celebrated his 108th birthday on 12 December. His birthday was first reported by Ryman Healthcare.

Easton was born in Kirkintilloch, Scotland, on 12 December 1916. At the age of three, he moved to Canada with his family. When he was 11, they settled in the Hunter Valley, Australia. He left school at 14 and began “hoboing,” hopping trains and traveling across the country with a friend, taking on odd jobs in exchange for food. Later, he took up street photography, often capturing portraits of military men before they departed to fight in the war.

This work eventually led Easton to join the Australian Army at 23. He served as a Signalman in the 8th Division Signals Regiment during World War II. Shortly after arriving in Singapore, he and his fellow Signalmen were captured by Japanese forces. Easton spent the next three and a half years as a prisoner of war, including time working on the infamous Burma Railway alongside other captives. Upon his release, Easton was severely malnourished and weighed only 47 kilograms, a stark contrast to his normal weight of around 80 kilograms.

Upon his release, medics predicted that the ordeal had likely shortened his life by at least a decade. However, he went on to spend the following decades working, managing crews responsible for setting up games and equipment for A&P shows across New Zealand. He continued traveling to Australia to participate in Anzac parades until the age of 96 and visited the war graves of his fallen comrades in Singapore, Thailand, and Burma on six separate occasions. He married Maureen, and together they had one daughter, Vikki. Tragically, Jim outlived both his wife and daughter. Vikki passed away just days before Jim’s 100th birthday.

Easton shortly before his 106th birthday, with Perminder Sachdev. (Source: Ryman Healthcare)

A few days before his 106th birthday in 2022, he was visited by Perminder Sachdev, a prominent Australian neuropsychiatrist and researcher, affiliated with the University of New South Wales (UNSW). He has contributed extensively to studies on aging, dementia, and brain health. Notably, he co-led the Sydney Centenarian Study, which explores the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects of centenarians and near-centenarians in Australia. This research has provided insights into the factors that contribute to exceptional longevity, such as cognitive resilience and lifestyle habits. Standing at 1.88 meters tall in his adult life, Sachdev observed that he was unusually tall for a centenarian, as taller individuals typically have shorter lifespans compared to shorter people.

Happy 108th birthday to the Doyen of New Zealand!