Centenarian Arthur Lambert loved working and says it was never a chore – he believes retiring later in life is a huge factor in his longevity
A 100-year-old self-confessed workaholic who finally retired at 90 says he believes working longer has helped him reach a ripe old age.
Arthur Lambert, who will turn 101 in June, told The i Paper he first began his working life around the age of 14 carrying out a milk and paper round before going to school.
He then became an engineering apprentice and worked his way up from a toolmaker to a draughtsman, before becoming a production engineer and then finishing up as a managing director.
Arthur’s working life did not end there as after finishing as a managing director in the engineering field at the age of about 70, he became a recruiter for the Federation of Small Businesses and carried on in that role until the age of 90.
As new research reveals better health is associated with later retirement and that 70 is the new 50, Arthur says he believes keeping mentally and physically active is one of the secrets to a longer life.
“I have always been a workaholic and had a strong work ethic,” Arthur says. “I think that has had a lot to do with the longevity of my life.
“I never consciously set out to achieve anything or work to a certain age. I just really loved working and going to work and doing my job never felt like a chore.”
Research by the International Monetary Fund is celebrating “seventies as the new fifties”. A World Economic Report by the institution noted a sharp rise in the “silver economy” with people ageing healthier.
The report, which was compiled using data from 41 countries, revealed that a person who was 70 in 2022 had the same cognitive ability as a 53-year-old in 2000.
It also found better health is associated with later retirement, working more weeks per year, and a lower probability of being unemployed.
Arthur, who lives in a Churchill Living apartment in Reigate, Surrey, was married to wife Betty for 65 years before her death in 2016. They have a daughter Claire, who lives in America, two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
“I had a happy married life and my wife didn’t go to work after we got married. I loved what I did and never felt I was driven to do it as it was what I wanted to do. It gave my daughter a good education.
“I didn’t do much in the way of gardening or things at home because I was working most of the time. So if I wanted things done, I tended to get someone in to do it.”
Arthur says the only time he had a break in his working life was in 1996 when he was diagnosed with leukaemia, but he was only off work for about a month.
He carried on working and driving until the age of 90. He had to stop driving at 90 after being diagnosed with epilepsy.
“As a business director, I have never been a bully and I always treated people like I like to be treated myself,” he said. “But I have never suffered fools gladly and I didn’t pamper anyone and I wasn’t pampered myself.
“Some managers treat people in a very dictatorial way, but I was never like that and I just tried to get the best out of people and I always seemed to be treated with respect.”
Even now he is no longer working, Arthur keeps himself mentally and socially active and is adept at using IT and is computer literate and uses a tablet and smartphone and keeps his mind stimulated by learning to use new technology.
Although Arthur credits working longer for keeping his mind and body young and helping him reach a good age, he also believes he has good genes to be grateful for. His mother lived to 101 and his sister is 90 and he says she “doesn’t look it at all” and she is still driving.
On the benefits of working longer, the advice Arthur has to offer is: “If it’s something you enjoy, keeping working has its benefits.
“It doesn’t feel like a chore if you enjoy your work and I do think it is one of the reasons I have lived to a ripe old age.”
Spencer McCarthy, chairman and CEO at Churchill Living, which runs independent living for over-sixties including where Arthur lives, said: “We see firsthand the positive impact of keeping active, staying sociable and having a positive mindset as you get older.
“For some of our owners, it is not unusual to continue working well beyond the traditional retirement age.
“A recent survey also showed us that 98 per cent of people aged over 65 believe a sharp mind is important to staying youthful.
“We recently changed our company name from ‘Churchill Retirement Living’ to just ‘Churchill Living’, and this was based on extensive research about our customers’ approach to later life.
“We dropped the word ‘retirement’ to reflect society’s changing attitudes, and to emphasise the fact that life at our developments is not all about retirement, it’s about living.”
