Sunday columnist Peter Leith has seen a lot of the world, a lot of Australia and a lot of life, but today he reflects on a milestone – his 90th birthday.
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It may not sound like the most exciting or cheerful subject but, on the eve of my 90th birthday, I have been studying the Australian death statistics.
They’re very interesting and, if you look at them in a positive way, they can cheer you up no end.
Of course we all know that in the older age groups, women outlive men and misogynists would have us believe that women kill off the men. They are just asking for trouble!
This is what I have gleaned. Did you know that if a man reaches the age of 90, he has 30 per cent less chance of dying than at any time since he was 75?
What is even more ‘cheer-upful’ is that if I hang in for another four years until the age of 94, the chance of my dying beyond that age, is one-quarter of what it is today. What great news.
I might even see a change of federal government and that would be something to look forward to.
Do you have an idea for Peter’s series on Aspects of Ageing or Vanishing Australia? Send it to [email protected] and put ‘Sunday’ in the subject line and we will forward it to him.
And from the team at YourLifeChoices, we wish Peter a very happy 90th birthday today. Long may he continue to share his insights in our Sunday eNews.
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