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Terri Stannard's philosophy on life is pretty simple.
Accept whatever life throws at you, keep moving and love your family.
At 95 years old, Terri still follows her motto to the letter. She struggles to walk due to stenosis (narrowing of the spine) but that hasn’t stopped her from getting around.
Once or twice a week she still meets her family or kayaking club for a paddle through the waterways around the Sunshine Coast where she lives.
Terri says her love of adventure has taken her on trips across Australia. Source: SBS
"I enjoyed what life brought me."
But Terri's positive attitude didn't come from an easy life.
Terri grew up in Indonesia, which at the time was a Dutch colony.
In 1942 the Japanese invaded, and Terri and her mother became prisoners of war when they were placed in one internment camp, while her father and brother were placed in another.
"That was a bad time, and I was in my late teens," Terri said.
"But we just accepted what was happening and tried to make the most of it."
For three years they had no contact with the outside world or the rest of the family.
"My mother suffered more, because my father and brother were somewhere else," she said.
After the war, Terri was reunited with the rest of her family, and they moved back to Holland. She later became a teacher and while studying in England, she met her husband David.
Terri (back row, right) and her family in Papua New Guinea. Source: SBS
If you rest, you rust
But after two years, David became ill and died from throat cancer. At 45, Terri became a single mother and sole provider for her nine children.
"Even the day after the funeral, I had classes again," she said.
After some family encouragement, Terri decided she would need to move somewhere with more social welfare and the family eventually landed in Brisbane. She continued to teach until she retired in 1989, but retirement didn’t mean sitting still.
When in her sixties, Terri moved to the Sunshine Coast and started biking and kayaking. Her love of movement and adventure took her on biking and kayaking trips across Australia and Europe.
Terri's children credit her longevity to her positivity and zest for life. Source: SBS
"That was terrible, I really still miss it."
No matter her age or her ailments, Terri keeps going.
"If you rest, you rust," she says.
Three years ago, Terri was diagnosed with bladder cancer. After having an operation to remove a tumour, the doctors recommended further radiation treatment. After her first treatment, she begged not to do it again.
"It was just horrible," Terri said.
"Because it was such an ordeal, I didn’t want to come back again until my spine felt better." After working with a physiotherapist to improve the symptoms of her stenosis, Terri revisited her cancer treatment.
But after her latest scan in August, her doctors were amazed to see that after three years, her cancer was dormant. Her children credit her continued health to her positive attitude and active lifestyle.
"I think if you accept what’s coming to you and make the most of it, that’s a full life," Terri said. "And I've had a very full life."
Longevity vs quality of life
Dr Kate Gregorevic is a geriatrician practising in Melbourne. She tells her patients to make sure their quality of life goes hand in hand with their longevity goals. She takes the same approach in her own life.
"When you're working in clinical medicine and you're very aware that even when you do the right things, there's not always guarantees and that really informs how I live my life," Gregorevic told Insight.
Society has always had a fascination with the elixir of life, the magic pill or the secret recipe to a long and healthy life.
Many doctors believe it isn't really a secret, but the mundane advice of a healthy diet, continued exercise, eliminating bad habits such as smoking and excessive drinking, staying positive and maintaining a social life.
Gregorevic also adds getting enough quality sleep to her list of longevity habits. She encourages her patients to take on lifestyle choices that improve their lives in the here and now.
"It's not realistic for a lot of people to make extremely restrictive changes to their lives in the long term because deep down, we are all, looking for a bit of pleasure," she said.
"So I think by flipping it around like that, you can make it more achievable and easier to implement into everyday life."
I travelled to Africa in my 70s
George Clarke is 74 and lives by his own philosophy.
"I live each day as if it were my last, and one day I’ll be right," he says.
Four years ago, George fulfilled a lifelong dream and drove across Africa from Cape Town to Cairo. He bought and kitted out a four-wheel drive and camped about a third of the way. George didn’t see his age as a barrier, but others did.
At 70, George fulfilled his lifelong dream of travelling across Africa. Source: SBS
One of George's most memorable experiences happened on the banks of the Kafue River in Zambia. While camping one evening he lit a fire, cooked himself a meal and opened a bottle of red wine.
"I went to bed and my security was my car keys and an axe and of course I had a torch in the tent," he said.
"And the idea was that if an animal attacked me, I'd press the alarm on the car and I'd chase anything there away."
George had a peaceful night until about 3am when he heard the roaring of a lion a few kilometres away.
Relaxed in the knowledge that there was a river between them, he rolled over and went back to sleep.
"And then all of a sudden, right next to my tent there was a lion roar," he said.
The sound was deafening, and George was petrified.
In the darkness, he felt around his tent for his security devices, but only found his torch. He had left everything else in his car. After waiting for the roaring to stop, George made a dash for the car and locked himself inside until the morning.
After lighting a fire and having some breakfast he reflected on the experience.
"How lucky to be alive."
