Airdate: The 100 plus Club

What’s it like to be 100 and still be active?

ABC will profile three Queensland centenarians, in a documentary called The 100+ Club produced by Brisbane filmmakers, Flickchicks.

Ruth Frith of Algester is 101, Olive Webber of Cleveland is 103, and Roma’s Dexter Kruger is a ‘spring chicken’ at 100 years of age.

All three are actively involved in some remarkable personal ambitions.

As the world’s oldest competing athlete, Ruth heads off to Perth to compete at the Australian Masters Athletics Championships, in a bid to break her own world records across five field events (the javelin, shot put, discus, heavy weight, and hammer throw).

Songstress and actress Olive began singing lessons at 89 but at 103 can still hit the high notes, and following a bout of bowel cancer, is doggedly pursuing her goal of performing under lights one last time.

And finally, having cranked out four books on Queensland’s ‘wild west’, outback cattleman Dexter Kruger is in a race against time to complete what is sure to be his final tome, regardless of the fact he can’t see the end of his pen.

The 100+ Club’s director, Mandy Lake, who came across the 100+ Club in a newspaper article, said capturing this trio of go-getters was not only a privilege, it was surprisingly challenging.

“Stalking centenarians is not as easy you’d think!” Mandy said.

“They can move, and they wait for no one.

“We had to be constantly mindful of not tiring out our ‘talent’ – multiple takes were not an option and shoots had to follow a strict routine, including a two hour nanna nap every afternoon,” she said.

The age of their subjects also weighed heavily on the crew with fears the centenarians would not last the distance or live to see the finished product broadcast on television.

“Fortunately all of our characters are still with us, although Dexter remarked we took a year off his life for every day we filmed him, we trust he is joking!” Mandy said.

She believes the most inspiring aspect of the film, the star’s stamina aside, is the fact that each of its key characters chose to undertake their pursuits very, very late in life.

“Dexter began writing at 89 when his wife died, Ruth took up athletics at 74 to avoid being the ‘bag lady’ at her daughter’s sports events, and Olive took up singing lessons at 89 because she thought she could ‘just do better’, ” Mandy said.

Her hope is this ‘never-say-die’ approach to living will stimulate debate about how Australian society treats and in many cases dismisses its older citizens.

“Having come to know and love these extraordinary Australians, it’s hard to believe as Ruth observes in the film that ‘no one wants to talk to an old person’.

“I rather suspect that after seeing The 100+ Club viewers will be left with little doubt as to how our characters made it into one of the world’s most exclusive groups,” she said.

Sunday, 1 July at 6.30pm ABC1.