Garry Garretts MBE - 'Use it or lose it' - the secret to a long life
Most of us are familiar with the expression 'use it or lose it', but my guest today is a man who has been living by that mantra for almost a century. I first met Garry Garretts at a Toastmasters speakers club meeting last year, which he had recently joined because he wanted to 'keep his mind active'! In our conversation today Garry shares some of the other things he does to stay physically and mentally fit, and why at the age of almost 99 (it's his birthday next month!) it's even more important now than ever. His stories of being blown up as he tried to put out a German fire bomb in the Blitz (before returning to work 3 days later once they had removed the 19 pieces of shrapnel from his legs!) and joining the RAF on his 19th birthday are both inspiring and grounding. If I have half the spirit, energy and enthusiasm for learning new things when I'm nearly 100 years old as Garry does, I'll be more than happy! If you want to find out more about Garry and his 30 year career in the RAF (including flying on the Berlin Airlift), Legasee have done a nice series of biographical videos you can access from here: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/garry-garretts/