109-Yr-Old Knit Hundreds Of Tiny Sweaters, Not For People But Penguins!

Alfred Date oldest man Australia with knit sweater

Nature is a pretty resilient system. Floods, fire, hurricanes, tornados, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes have been happening as far back as history can remember, but the earth always finds a natural equilibrium.

That said, humans have a very particular way of causing lasting damage to this beautiful planet.

After a recent oil spill near Phillip Island Nature Park off the coast of Australia, one man decided to do his part.

The oldest man in Australia, Alfred ‘Alfie’ Date, along with some friends have been knitting hundreds of tiny sweaters – not for people, but penguins.

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Knits for Nature

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Knits for Nature

The 109-yr-old started knitting shortly after moving to a retirement home in southwest Australia. After learning about his talent, two nurses approached him to see if he’d be willing to work with the “Knits for Nature” program.

Following an oil spill near Phillip Island in 2001, 483 of these little guys ended up at a rehabilitation center and were eventually released back into the wild.

The sweaters help minimize the oil a penguin ingests while preening. A few years and hundreds of sweaters later, Date and his friends are getting pretty good…

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Knits for Nature

Thanks to Date and his friends, the center does not need any more penguin sweaters.

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Knits for Nature

Well how ’bout that. How can you use your talents for others today?

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