By Ethan Benedicto
Celebrated by many in his circle and the local community, Harry Bowen Dickson ticked off 105 years on 6 March, with the milestone just another box to tick in his centenarian goals.
With friends and family present, a party was thrown at the Edrington Park Village mansion in Berwick, with the venue only a few years Mr Dickson’s senior.
Anne De Kok, Mr Dickson’s youngest daughter had catered for the party and said that their family is still “very blessed to have him”.
“He’s been a wonderful father to us and he was always hard-working and has looked after us throughout our lives, and he still tries to – he’d do anything for anybody,” Mrs De Kok said.
Born in 1919, Mr Dickson spent the majority of his time growing up exploring the outdoors, a factor he had attributed to his longevity.
Having lived through multiple world-altering events in his early years, such as the Great Depression, he eventually married not long after the Second World War.
“All in all I’ve lived a pretty wonderful life, a healthy life, which I lived out in the open.
“It’s hard to put into words really, but it’s been a happy and splendid life, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and there’s been a couple of rough patches here and there but I couldn’t complain about anything,” Mr Dickson said.
Having spent his career as a milk delivery man, Mr Dickson had worked until he was nearly in his 70s, only really stopping to care for his then-ailing wife.
Mrs De Kok said that her father’s long life possibly came from having “worked outdoors; he used to deliver milk and ice and he was always out and active”.
“Considering that how he was born was because his mother fell down the stairs which brought the pregnancy on,” she said.
While the outcome of the accident seemed bleak, Mr Dickson survived the ordeal because his grandmother “rubbed him with lard and whiskey and wrapped him in cotton wool”.
“She warmed some bricks at the fireplace and put them together like a crib during the day, and she would cradle him during the night, that’s how he survived,” Mrs De Kok said.
Mr Dickson and his wife moved to Edrington Village in 2004, and after she passed in 2005, he found solace in the comfort that friends and the community offered.
“I said to my kids that I couldn’t stay here now that their mum’s gone, but I battled through it,” Mr Dickson said.
“One of my friends who lived opposite me lost his wife only about three months after my wife passed away, so we sort of spoke the same language.
“We used to go out for morning tea or afternoon tea, and that’s how we bonded,” he said.
With four children of his own and plenty of grand and great-grandchildren, Mrs De Kok said that Mr Dickson has always been a family man through and through.
“He just likes to be around his family you know, family is his life,” she said.
Mr Dickson had little to no health concerns throughout his life, other than a weaker heart which Mrs De Kok contributed to nothing else but old age and the passing of time.
One of the things that bother Mr Dickson however is his walker, and his inability to walk without it.
“Well I can’t do anything much now because I’ve got the walker, and if I didn’t use that I’d tip over.
“It’s one of those things that annoy me, since I need that to get around, and my legs don’t work as well but they’ve been through a lot so it’s alright.”
The party came to a close with a tribute video led by Berwick MP Brad Battin, who gave a speech in Parliament on 6 March, greeting Mr Dickson a happy birthday and toasting to his name afterwards.
Mr Dickson is also a life-long Richmond supporter, having attended 13 of the team’s 15 premierships, a feat which he looks forward to continuing.
To Mr Dickson, the glass is always half full and a key part of his age was to simply be content and enjoy life.
“You can enjoy it, make the experience happy, meet people and make friends, it’s really up to you to make the best of it,” he said.
