Off the Record: Barbara’s secrets to a long and healthy life, and John Hammond’s property fortunes

ALBANY A-LISTER The woman on the shovel is Albany’s Barbara Lister — a 102-year-old social media whiz who prefers Solitaire to Wordle. The City of Albany shared some photos of a tree-planting ceremony held at Eyre Park earlier this year to mark — rather belatedly — Ms Lister’s centenary. Off the Record saw it as an excuse to interrogate Ms Lister in a bid to learn the secrets of her vitality. Here is a woman who was born way back in 1919, when the world was being ravaged by a global pandemic called the Spanish flu. More than 102 years later, she has been caught in the middle of another pandemic. But as she looks ahead to her 103rd birthday in October, she remains incredibly bright and active. Ms Lister was born and raised on the island of Jersey between the UK and France, eventually moving to Perth as an exchange teacher before retiring to Albany. Her weekly routine includes exercises for the body and mind. On Mondays, she goes to Albany Community Care and keeps herself physically active. On Tuesdays, she meets with a group of friends for their weekly “open discussion” where they tackle the big issues. “We try to put world right — we haven’t succeeded yet,” she says. With shopping and other social commitments during the week, she keeps her weekends free for two things — family and church. When she is not out and about, Ms Lister can often be found on her iPad, playing Solitaire or keeping in touch with friends and family via Zoom or Facebook. She thinks that Albany has “everything” for seniors and she appreciates the City of Albany’s gesture of a plaque and tree in her honour. “Their idea is there will be an avenue of trees but I’ll probably have to wait a few more years to see that. Maybe I’ll come back as a bird and rest in one of the trees,” she said. Her advice for others who were entering their latter years was simple: “Just put your best foot forward every day,” she said. As a side note, some years ago, OTR interviewed a Perth man named Rafe Snader, who was still doing the jive at the ripe old age of 105. Asked for his secret to a long, healthy life, Mr Snader said he and his brothers were brought up on fresh goat’s milk. That was the best answer he could come up with. Given that two of his brothers also lived past 100, his theory was not something OTR was prepared to dismiss. Interviewing Ms Lister was another chance to ask for the secret to longevity from someone who was seemingly defying the process of ageing. When OTR mentioned Mr Snader’s answer, there was a flicker of recognition in her voice. “Well, I was born on that beautiful, beautiful island of Jersey and I was brought up on Jersey cow milk,” Ms Lister said. “It was an island life, a life without any fear. Children today, they have to be careful — if they see a man he might be going to rob them or whatever. “We just grew up in such a wonderful time of freedom and no fear, just surrounded by love.” So, there you go. A carefree existence and more high-quality milk — perhaps there’s something in that? HOUSING HAMMOND Celebrity lawyer John Hammond has swapped a property blunder for a scenic stunner in Albany. With aspirations to play renovator, the legal eagle had hoped to transform a 1952 Mt Clarence home on a spacious 997sqm block. But his dreams were dashed shortly after locking in the purchase of the property when he was told upgrades would be exorbitant. So he cut his losses and put it back on the market. When it sold for less than his purchase price, it became a $30,000 lesson for the prominent lawyer — and proof that not all property purchases are big winners in the recent boom. “I put it on the market the day it settled because when the tradespeople came through they said, ‘This will not only break your wallet but will break your heart’. So, I lost all faith in trying to be a renovator,” he said. “I put it down to being too quick to sign without doing all the due diligence.” Keen to dip his toe back in the market after his Albany defeat, Mr Hammond tried again. This time, landing himself a custom-designed dream home on a sloping bush block overlooking Albany’s Lake Seppings and Frenchman Bay. While somewhat scarred by his first Albany investment, Mr Hammond is at peace with his new Mira Mar home, which has vaulted ceilings, a high-spec kitchen and timber-lined decks. “It has fantastic views,” he said. “It feels as though it’s in the bush, but it’s not. And it’s a matter of just walking in and living there.” Having visited the city for the past 25 years, Mr Hammond, who last year expanded Hammond Legal with an Albany office, bought the property as a holiday home for himself and a place his visiting staff could stay.