New Zealand’s oldest man Jack Coe celebrates 107th birthday

New Zealand's oldest man, 107-year-old Jack Coe, enjoys the Anzac ceremony at St Johns Wood Care Centre and Village in Taupō.

This time last year, Jack Coe reckoned he would be “doing all right” if he were to make it to his 107th birthday.

Well, May 11 has arrived, and while circumstances may have changed for Jack, one thing has remained the same - he’s celebrating another birthday as New Zealand’s oldest man.

It is only four months since health complications meant Jack had to move from his home in Marton to St Johns Wood in Taupō to be closer to his son, Peter Coe.

Up until then he was living independently, bringing in his own firewood and taking regular walks.

Jack’s long life had humble beginnings - he was born in a tent in Gorton St Bulls, on May 11, 1916, and was named Harry James Jack Coe.

He lived almost his whole life in Marton and Bulls, with the exception of military service during World War II, when he trained for service in Blenheim and Porirua before being shipped off to the Pacific. He ended up in New Caledonia on heavy artillery, defending an American Air Force base, and is a life member of the Marton RSA.

Peter said his father would have liked to continue living independently but a series of falls, poor eyesight and declining health meant it was no longer possible.

Jack and his wife Thora built a house at Marton Junction in 1950, where he had a painting and decorating business, and where they raised their two children - Peter and Valerie.

Up until his health took a turn, he could be seen regularly walking into Marton, with a mobility walker and distinctive Tartan cap, for his regular cup of coffee and biscuit.

Jack remembers how as youngsters, he and his sister Myrtle would ride into Bulls on the family gig, sitting on the kickboard behind the horse - which could sometimes be a smelly trip - while their parents sat on the top seat.

Jack’s father worked as a stock drover and was well-known in the local farming community for his handling of stock, but died doing what he loved, Peter said.

“It appears he had put the cattle in his holding paddock next to his house in Hammond St [Bulls], then slipped or fell while mounting his horse Dolly, breaking his neck.”

Jack has fond memories of travelling to Santoft Beach on a four-horse wagon to collect logs and firewood and being taught how to fish with a cord line from the side of the Fusilier wreck.

Fishing and hunting rabbits became Jack’s favourite pastime, and he continued to fish right up until he was 100 years old.

Peter said his father did get into a bit of mischief sometimes as a boy, including when he and his cousin jumped on the old flax and steel wagons at a downhill grade at Ohakea and let the brakes off. They couldn’t get the brakes back on, and the wagons carried on down the line for a couple of kilometres to Sanson before they came to rest.

At the age of 16, Jack became a painter and decorator, working for well-known local painter Sid Goebel, and would bike to work with a ladder over his shoulder.

He later bought a BSA 350cc motorbike, which he used for a few years, even using it to take Thora up the East Coast on their honeymoon.