Ken Weeks, Australia’s oldest living person, celebrated his 111th birthday
The Gerontology Research Group is pleased to announce that Mr. Ken Weeks, the oldest living person in Australia, celebrated his 111th birthday in Grafton, New South Wales, Australia on 5 October 2024.
Kenneth Loxton Weeks was born in Grafton, New South Wales, Australia on 5 October 1913 as the eldest of five children. He grew up in a farm in Carrs Creek with his family. They later moved to another riverside farm in Swan Creek. He attended Grafton High School, and after leaving school he worked for the Model Homes Company that did road constructing work, but as he was mechanically minded he followed that up with operating a service station in Brisbane, and in partnership with Charles Alvey in Grafton operated a car dealership.
In 1941, he married Jean McPhee (1911-1986); the couple had two sons, Ian and Noel. They were married for 45 years before Jean’s death in 1986. During World War II, he applied to join the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), but at a height of just 1.5 meters, his short stature led to him being turned away. After World War II, he set up a radio and electrical sales and repair business at 59 Prince St, which he operated for several years before later replacing it with a milk bar. He eventually worked as a school bus driver in Clarence Valley, before ultimately retiring at the age of 65.
He lived independently until the age of 104. Shortly before turning 105, he moved to the nursing home Whiddon Grafton in Grafton.
On 17 September 2022, following the death of 110-year-old Frank Mawer, Weeks became the oldest living man in Australia.
On 5 October 2023, Weeks celebrated his 110th birthday, becoming a supercentenarian.
On 5 June 2024, following the death of 111-year-old Olga Abate, Weeks became the oldest living person in Australia.
As of his 111th birthday, Weeks is the fourth-oldest living man in the world, behind 112-year-old John Tinniswood, 111-year-old Josino Levino Ferreira and 111-year-old Ilie Ciocan.