A close-up of Prof Des Cole as he enjoys his Balance Build class on a Tuesday morning.
Age is no excuse to stop being healthy, as one 94-year-old Lonehill resident has proven.
Professor Desmond Cole was born in 1922, served in WWII, lectured at Wits for over 40 years, has been married to his wife for almost 50 years and co-published the first English/Setswana Illustrated Dictionary ever to be published.
Professor Des Cole joins his classmates for a Balance Build lesson, which is aimed at keeping seniors flexible and mobile enough to avoid serious age-related injuries.
You would think that after such a busy life, he would use his retirement to finally relax – but you would be wrong. Despite being older than movies with audible dialogue (the first ‘talkies’ only came out in 1927), Cole still makes an effort to be healthy and attends Balance Build classes twice a week.
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“I want to keep coming to these classes for as long as possible. Exercise is absolutely vital as it keeps one healthy, and I thoroughly enjoy [these classes],” he said.
Although Balance Build is an exercise regime aimed specifically at the 15 or so ‘active elderly’ who take part in the classes twice a week at the Highbrook Retirement Village clubhouse in Lonehill, Cole is still the oldest participant by a number of years, according to Kirsten Morse, the physiotherapist who runs the class.
Naureen (foreground, left) and Des (foreground, right) have been married since the late 1960s, and co-wrote the first English to Setswana Illustrated Dictionary together.
The hour-long sessions, hosted twice a week, are aimed at helping the senior participants stay flexible and mobile, which will decrease the likelihood of serious falls that can cause injuries such as broken bones, Morse said.
“I think it’s just wonderful,” she added.
“I’m almost 49 and it’s a real inspiration to see this man, who is nearly double my age, so determined to keep exercising.”
Although Cole does need assistance from his professional caregiver, Life Chinosiyeni, during the sessions in order to do some movements (such as lifting himself out of a chair into a standing position), he attends Balance Build consistently when his health permits it.
“People out there should remember that exercise is very valuable [to one’s wellbeing],” explained Cole.
His willingness to keep going is an exceptional example of dedication, but then Prof Cole has led an exceptional life – born in Mafikeng on 30 October 1922, as a young man he fought in WWII. Cole then completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1948 and began lecturing at the University of theWitwaterstrand’s Department of African Languages, where he became a professor and eventually the head of the department until 1988 when he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Literature degree for his 40 years of service to the university.
While other participants use a wall to push against for a particular exercise, mobility issues result in Prof Cole instead doing them with Kirsten Morse, the physiotherapist who leads the class.
Although not a subject he studied officially, Cole is also an enthusiast for Lithops (a type of succulent plant) on which he has published a number of academic articles since the 1970s.
With his wife Naureen (82), whom he married nearly 50 years ago, Cole co-authored the English to Setswana Illustrated Dictionary, which was clearly a labour of love.
“Setswana was the first language I ever learned. I could speak it even before I could speak English because I was raised in what was then Bophuthatswana,” he said.
“It took us many, many years to finally complete the work,”
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