This 110-Year-Old Man Spent His Last Days Knitting Sweaters for Penguins
People spend their later years in all kinds of ways. Some tend gardens, piece together puzzles, or watch the world drift by from a favorite chair. But Alfred “Alfie” Date chose something different. At 110, along Australia’s southern coast, he picked up his knitting needles to craft tiny sweaters for penguins rescued after oil spills. What began as a simple pastime became a quiet mission of care, a reminder that kindness can keep working long after everything else slows down.
The Gentleman with the Knitting Needles
Alfie was already a century old when two nurses at his retirement home in New South Wales asked if he’d help with a special project. The Phillip Island Penguin Foundation needed tiny sweaters for Little Penguins injured in an oil spill.
Without protection, the oil would cause their feathers to clump, leaving their skin exposed and tempting them to preen and swallow the toxins. It was a life-threatening mess that called for a peculiar solution, which came in the form of penguin-sized knitwear.
Alfie had been knitting since 1931, when his sister-in-law handed him his first set of needles and asked for a baby jumper. Eight decades later, he still enjoyed the rhythm of his craft. When asked to help the penguins, he didn’t hesitate. “I can’t say no,” he reportedly joked, showing the good-natured humor that made him so beloved.
Sweaters with a Purpose
The sweaters served as vital medical tools. Each one kept the penguins warm and stopped them from pecking at their oily feathers until rescue teams could clean them properly.
These birds, native to Australia and New Zealand, are the smallest of their kind, with just 32,000 living on Phillip Island. Alfie’s handiwork became part of an international effort that eventually produced thousands of penguin jumpers, enough for the foundation to stop accepting new ones.
When the staff at the Penguin Foundation learned that their most devoted volunteer was also the oldest man in the country, they were floored. To them, he was more than a talented knitter; he represented how kindness can thrive at any age. His sweaters saved penguins’ lives, and his story inspired countless people.
A Legacy Stitched in Wool
Image via Canva/Jacob Lund
Alfie’s gentle spirit made him a national treasure long before his story went viral. By the time he passed away in 2016 at 110 years old, the foundation publicly thanked him for his contributions to the “Knits for Nature” program, calling it a privilege to have known him.
The initiative continues to serve as a backup for wildlife rescue teams, with over 100,000 sweaters donated through the years. Even after the project ended, Alfie kept knitting scarves for friends and hats for premature babies. His philosophy was to stay busy, stay kind, and always help where you can. There may be no better example of how compassion can change the world.