Aileen Kars, the oldest known living person in New Zealand, celebrated her 113th birthday
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is pleased to announce that Mrs. Aileen Emily Kars (née Schwass), the oldest known living person in New Zealand, celebrated her 113th birthday in Palmerston North, Manawatu-Whanganui, on 12 September 2026. Aileen Kars was born as Aileen Emily Schwass in Tokomaru, Manawatu-Whanganui, New Zealand (North Island), on 12 September 1913. In 1935, she married Leslie John Henry Kars, going on to have two children together – both sons. Leslie passed away in 1990, after which Aileen never remarried. On 29 July 2022, following the death of 110-year-old Joan Brennan, she became the oldest known living person in New Zealand. On 12 September 2023, she celebrated her 110th birthday, becoming a supercentenarian. On 3 December…
Dora Caverson, the oldest known living woman in Australia, celebrated her 112th birthday
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is pleased to announce that Mrs. Dora Caverson (née Fridberg), the oldest known living woman in Australia, celebrated her 112th birthday in Dianella, Western Australia, on 10 September 2026. Dora Caverson was born as Dora Fridberg in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, on 10 September 1914. In 1954, she married Joseph Caverson and had a son together. They were only married for 16 years before Joe died. They had lived in South Africa for some time. In the 1980s, she followed her son to Australia, where she continues to live. On 8 March 2024, following the death of 110-year-old Alfreda Screaigh, she became the oldest known living person in Western Australia. On 10 September 2024, she…
Fuyo Kishimoto has officially become the oldest living Japanese person at 114
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is pleased to announce that Mrs. Fuyo Kishimoto [Japanese: 岸本ふよ] of Kyoto Prefecture, has officially became the oldest living person in Japan at 114 years and 250 days of age, after the death of Shigeko Kagawa of Nara Prefecture on 27 August 2026. Fuyo Kishimoto was born in Hamasaka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, on 20 December 1911 (Meiji 44). At some point of her life, she moved to Kyoto Prefecture. She was a resident in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City, but she moved to the special nursing home in Kita Ward in her later years. On 20 December 2021, she celebrated her 110th birthday and became a supercentenarian. In September 2023, she…
Lorna Henstridge, the oldest known living woman in Australia, dies at 112
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is saddened to reported that Mrs. Lorna Morton Henstridge (née Paterson), the oldest known living woman in Australia, sadly passed away in Bordertown, South Australia on 7 September 2026 at the final age of 112 years and 93 days. Lorna Henstridge was born as Lorna Morton Paterson in Adelaide, South Australia, on 6 June 1914, to parents Alexander Edward and Olive Beatrice Paterson. In 1945, she married Alan Henstridge in Victoria, Australia. They went on to have three children together. Around 2019, she moved into a care facility in Bordertown, South Australia. On 5 June 2024, following the death of 111-year-old Olga Abate of Victoria, Lorna became the oldest known living woman in Austalia. The…
Shigeko Kagawa, the oldest living person in Japan, dies at 115
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is saddened to reported that Mrs. Shigeko Kagawa [Japanese: 賀川滋子], the oldest living person in Japan, sadly passed away in Yamato-Koriyama, Nara Prefecture on 27 August 2026 at the final age of 115 years and 91 days. Shigeko Kagawa was born in Yamato-Koriyama, Nara Prefecture, Japan, on 28 May 1911 (Meiji 44). According to the history of the Yamato-Koriyama City Medical Association, she graduated from Osaka Women’s Higher Medical School (now Kansai Medical University) in 1934. From April of the same year for approximately 3 years, she worked in the obstetrics and gynecology and internal medicine departments of Osaka Municipal Minami Citizens’ Hospital (now Osaka Metropolitan University Hospital). In 1937, she opened…