The oldest man in Wales has revealed his secret to a long life as he approaches his 107th birthday on Monday. Second World War veteran Owen Filer believes his remarkable longevity comes down to living simply, working hard and never overindulging. He insisted there was no mystery behind reaching such an extraordinary age, but he has always relied on the staple meal of fish and chips.
“How I got here I’ll never know, but I’ve met a lot of people who have admired me and asked me how I do it,” Mr Filer said. “No secret recipe, except that I always worked all my life.
“There is no secret, you just live properly, and I’ve always done it. I’ve never overeaten, I lived on fish and chips,” he said. “Fish and chips, a full meal, a scoop full of chips and a fish, and it was cod and hake, it was genuine.”
Born in 1919, Mr Filer served with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers before transferring to the Military Police during the Second World War. He has four children, with the family now spanning 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Ahead of his birthday, he was honoured at a celebration attended by loved ones and fellow Servicemen at the Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr.
SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, presented him with a commemorative statuette in recognition of his distinguished military service.
The festivities continued with a surprise red carpet reception at the cinema, where Mr Filer chose to watch the film One Good Turn.
Fellow veteran Darren Foote, who helped organise the celebrations, said Mr Filer was bemused by all the attention, describing him as a “really nice, down-to-earth guy”.
Despite being 106, Mr Filer continues to follow a daily routine, putting on a clean shirt and tie and cleaning his shoes every morning, and he “gets up with purpose”. Mr Foote said: “I think we can all take a leaf out of his book on that one, for sure.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
