We would like to acknowledge Mr Alfred Date, Australia’s oldest gentleman and keen penguin jumper knitter, who recently passed away peacefully at 110 years of age.
Mr Date was a wonderful contributor to the Knits for Nature program, providing us with many woollen jumpers to protect little penguins in the event of an oil spill - Alfie was still knitting at 108 years young! His care for little penguins saw him become an international sensation in 2015, with his story shared across the world.
Mr Date was born in North London in 1905, he moved to Australia in 1912 (the ship next to his at the dock was The Titanic) and married in 1926. His favourite invention over the past 100 years was electricity because "it made light and power more accessible to all people" and his advice for the younger generation is "never spurn learning".
Mr Date learned to knit in 1932 when his sister-in-law taught him how to knit a jumper for his newborn nephew. Alfie said that he always makes sure his penguin jumpers are up to scratch, ‘I like to make it without mistakes and I don't excuse myself for doing it. (But) I think there is an excuse for a person who's gone beyond the normal span of life,' he said.
We feel very privileged to have played a small part in Mr Date’s celebrated and incredibly rich life, and our thoughts are with his family.
Thank you Alfred.
Record breaking penguins!
Fantastic news from the little penguin colony. Phillip Island Nature Parks scientists have just announced that 2015/2016 has been the best year on record for the little penguins! June 30 not only marks the end of the financial year, it is also the end of the little penguin annual life cycle which means these scientists get to business crunching the population data they have collected.
The team found the time when penguins began egg laying was the earliest on record and penguin parents reared an average of 2.25 plump penguin chicks per pair, very successful parenting given the long-term average is one chick fledging (leaving the nest) per pair.
In addition to (and most likely because of) the fantastic breeding season, the Penguin Parade beach had an average of 1131 penguins waddling ashore and to their burrows each night – another record breaker!
As for what the penguins are up to now, many are on a well-earned break and are spending their time out at sea. Those that are in their burrows are in very good body condition, indicating there must be some good fishing out at sea at the moment.
