What do you give a man who has lived a century? For Second World War veteran Don Bird, the perfect gift is a donation to Breast Cancer UK, in memory of the wife he lost to the disease four decades ago.
A Life of Adventure and Love
Described fondly by his youngest daughter as a 'mini-David Attenborough' due to his love of wildlife, Don celebrated his centenary birthday on Saturday, April 25. Coincidentally, legendary naturalist Sir David Attenborough is set to turn 100 just days later, on May 8. Born in the Midlands but now living in Long Buckby, Northamptonshire, Don was born the same year the first transatlantic telephone call was made and when John Logie Baird demonstrated the first television to fellow scientists.
Over the last half a century, Don has travelled extensively, experiencing different parts of the natural world with trips to Alaska, India, and Africa, even encountering grizzly bears. His daughter, Ruth Freeborough, 62, described her dad as a 'very kind, charming, decent man'.
A Centenary Celebration
Don celebrated his centenary with an afternoon tea held on his birthday, with around 60 people in attendance. In lieu of presents, he asked guests to make donations to Breast Cancer UK, of which he is a regular donor, or to Malawi-based charity Mbedza, which his other daughter, Sue, 66, works for.
From Bank Clerk to RAF Navigator
Rewind 80 years, 18-year-old Don was working in a bank in Loughborough. However, his new career was put on hold when he was called up to join the RAF as a trainee navigator. Fortunately, the war ended before he fully qualified, and he soon returned home. It was when he returned to the bank in Loughborough that he met June, whom he later married and had two daughters with. The family moved to Long Buckby, where the couple brought up their girls and 'life was good'.
Then, aged just 52, June was diagnosed with breast cancer. Ruth, Don's daughter and former chair of the board of trustees at Breast Cancer UK, said: 'We're going back 40-plus years, when they had no idea about breast cancer and the treatments that we have available now. The doctors found a small lump, and it was removed, and she had radiotherapy. Then, within two years, she passed away. Who knows if she would have survived if she'd received the same diagnosis today.'
Ruth was just 19 when her mum died at the age of 54. She said: 'It tore our family apart. In those days, it was different. My dad was the breadwinner, and my mum was the person who stayed at home looking after us all. So, you suddenly lose that stability in the home. She was the glue that held us all together, and when she passed away, it completely changed the dynamics of our family. It took us a while to recover from that and to find a new norm; to find a new way of being, where she wasn't in it.'
Finding Happiness Again
Shortly after June's death, Don retired from his job as a bank manager. Ruth recalled a recent conversation with her dad, where he shared that it took about three years until it really sank in that his beloved wife had gone forever. It was then that he made the decision to, in his own words, 'get busy living', and his passion for travel and wildlife flourished. Along with volunteering at a local hospice for 20 years, it was on one of his many adventures that Don was seated next to his now partner, Karin, on a flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town. At first a long-distance relationship, Karin has since moved to the UK and is now Don's full-time carer, living with him in the family home in Long Buckby.
Ruth said: 'He's just come full circle in his life, and he's found happiness again with Karin. They're very content with each other, and he's just so happy now. He's at peace with himself.'
A Life Well Lived
With his adventures now more limited, Don still satisfies his love of wildlife by watching David Attenborough documentaries, along with being an avid sports fan, especially of his childhood team, Derby County. Don was delighted to receive his 100th birthday card from the King, remarkably the fifth monarch to be crowned in his lifetime. He said if he went back and spoke to his 18-year-old self, he would say 'no regrets'. He added: 'I have travelled extensively and seen many beautiful sights. I am fortunate enough to recall them all and reminisce with fondness each encounter. But meeting and marrying June was my greatest achievement, without a doubt.'
If you would like to fundraise for Breast Cancer UK, find out more at www.breastcanceruk.org.uk/get-involved/fundraising-and-events. Every event, every challenge, every pound raised helps fund vital research and education so that more people can reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.
