An Australian man has revealed his secret to living a long life.

Gordon Ewers, 106, revealed that the key to his longevity was “not so much what I’ve done, but what I haven’t done”.

Ewers, from Perth in Western Australia, told 9 News that while it was important to “live sensibly, breathe regularly, think positively, and live hopefully”, he credits his long life to two major omissions from his lifestyle choices.

“I’ve never smoked and never drunk alcohol in my life,” the great-grandfather said. He added: “The absence of which is probably one of the helps towards achieving old age.”

The retired customs officer still lives independently and says while his body is “flailing”, the “bloke inside is alright”.

“I can’t say it’s much of an achievement,” Ewers says of his 10 decades on Earth. “It just happened to me, which I’m very happy for it to have done.”

Ewers was born in 1916 and has lived through World War I and World War II, the Great Depression and now the Covid-19 pandemic.

He says that living through the Great Depression, which happened between 1929 and 1933 when Ewers would have been aged 13 to 17, had a big effect on him.

“The big depression from 1933 on, that has influenced a lot of my behaviour ever since. I’m still very careful with money and watch what I spend,” he told the programme.

While Ewers’ age is an incredible feat, he’ll need to live for at least another decade to officially be the longest-living person.

At present, this title is held by Kane Tanaka. The Japanese supercenetarian who, at 119 was born in 1903, is currently the oldest verified living person.

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