Happy 90th birthday Alison

I am delighted to be attending my mum, Alison’s, 90th birthday celebration in Sydney tomorrow. It is a total buzz for me. She is a great mum and a wonderful grandmother to her 5 grandchildren.

Being 90 years old is a big deal and is interesting demographically. For someone born in 1917 it is an accomplishment to reach age 90. The expected lifespan for a female born in that year was a smidgeon under 60. For a man it was around 58.

If you go to the AIHW web site, life expectancy for men and women has increased 20 years during the 90 years Alison has lived. Roughly 1 year’s extra life every 5 years.

Are these facts not interesting? Alison was still an infant when the Great War ended in 1918. She was not quite 12 when Wall St crashed in 1929. She was 22 when Hitler invaded Poland and 28 when the Soviet Union invaded Berlin to end the war in Europe. She celebrated her 50th birthday when Ming Menzies ended his second record term as Australian Prime Minister.

I could go on but the point I want to make is that when you are 90 years old you have seen a lot and have acquired a lot of knowledge. Alison has a lot of knowledge and, although she is physically a bit frail, she maintains all of her marbles. She is an astute observer of human nature and a canny stock-market punter whom I always listen to.

I am proud of her.