Imagine being 100 years old and being the youngest member of a club.
For Bernard “Bud” Tarling, it becomes a reality, on St. Patrick’s Day.
Tarling turns the big one-oh-oh on March 17, becoming the fourth member of the Centenarian Club at Casa Loma and Comox Valley Seniors Village.
“The other day I was greeted with the title, ‘The Young Centenarian’ by one of the staff,” said Tarling, who has lived at the retirement community for five-and-a-half years. “Of course the latter word will not be true until March 17th when I am 100 years old. While no one can remain physically young as the years pass by, I have always tried to remain young in mind and spirit.”
Tarling said he abides by the Golden Rule, and recalls some words to live by, which he heard long ago.
“Remember to ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ I have learned a great deal over a century and received wise advice long ago – that to have friends, you have to be one yourself. This is particularly true here in our current ‘home.’
Tarling joins Ken Dimond (104), Marion Crowther (101) and Kay Nadeau (101) in this extremely exclusive club.
Dimond, a relative newcomer to Casa Loma/CVSV, said walking, and model ship-building, help keep his “soul young” - that, and a lot of friends. He said he has two mottos he lives by: “You gotta get going to keep going,” and “Don’t worry, don’t hurry, be happy.”
Crowther, who has resided at the facility for nearly nine years, said she has two loves, other than family and friends: music and dancing.
“Music and dancing just soups me up,” she said. “I can’t sit still when I hear music. I have to move.”
Nadeau, who has lived there for four-and-a-half years, offered a message to young women.
“Make sure you are independent and not reliant on someone else - pursue an education and a career,” she said. “I lost my husband early on and raised three boys on my own. I was so glad that I had a teaching diploma and could teach English at a French school in Montreal. I regret that I never learned how to use a computer.”