Ocean Grove Golf Club local Allen Cover was the ‘toast of the coast’ this month after he celebrated his 100th birthday in style on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Around 60 of Allen’s closest family and friends attended his special century milestone party in the plush sunshine surrounds of Maroochydore’s Chateau Royale.
The great grandfather puts his longevity down to good health and staying out of trouble from the law.
“I have done well to keep (away) from the hands of the law and I haven’t come into much trouble over the years with the law,” chuckled Allen, who served as Catalina pilot during WWII.
He said residing at Cotton Tree on the Sunshine Coast mid-year was a factor in his prolonged life.
“You come up here and you recharge your batteries because the climate up here is quite different to Ocean Grove, you enjoy the sunshine and you get a good dose of vitamin D,” Allen said.
Allen, who lives in Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads for nine months of the year, escapes the Bellarine winter chill to head north with son Paul and daughter-in-law Wendy.
Paul said his wife and father had been travelling north every winter to the Sunshine Coast for the last seven years, which helped Allen’s journey to a century.
“We have a great unit here which faces north and it has the sun all day which is great for dad – he loves the sun,” said Paul.
“It makes our job easier than looking after him in Ocean Grove where we are struggling to keep him warm.”
Grandson Tyron Cover, a star golfer at Ocean Grove, made the quick dash from his Fijian adventure and jetted back to Melbourne before boarding a flight to the Sunshine Coast, to make Allen’s birthday on the day.
Paul said news of his father’s 100th birthday had spread across the Sunshine Coast and came to attention of a fellow Ocean Grove Golf Club member staying in the leafy suburb of Caloundra.
The golf club member at Ocean Grove came and visited Allen on his big day after reading an article in the Sunshine Coast My Weekly Preview July edition about his 100th birthday milestone.
“One of the highlights was the fact that magazine circulating along the coast,” Paul said.
“There was a member from the Ocean Grove Golf Club that was staying down in Caloundra at the caravan park and he picked up the magazine on the Friday night and read the article about Dad and said ‘there is no way known I am going to miss calling in and seeing Allen.
“Unbeknown to him we had a party going, he popped right in two minutes (before) 10am (when the party started) which was unbelievable.”
When Allen arrives home in September, he will take part in the ‘Allen Cover Cup’ at Ocean Grove Golf Club on Friday 11 October.
Allen generally plays golf once a week with club veterans on a Friday when at home on the Bellarine, has been member of the Ocean Grove Golf Club for the last 35 years.
“I have had a pretty long retirement,” Allen laughed.
Ocean Grove Golf Club president Peter Cullen said this year’s ‘Allen Cover Cup’ took on special significance with Allen’s 100th birthday.
Cullen confirmed Allen was an ‘honorary’ member of golf club.
“We made him what we call an ‘honorary member’ for the rest of his life,” Cullen said.
“I think the club is very proud of the fact he is a member of our club and he is still playing to this day.”
Allen has 10 grandchildren and four great grandchildren, and another great grandchild on the way.
