At 91, Dorothy’s the oldest swinger in town
Auckland grandmother Dorothy Pattison has become the oldest person to bungy jump off the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
The 91-year-old took the 40m plunge on a cold afternoon yesterday. “I’ve done a lot of crazy things in my life, but this one takes the cake,” Pattison said.
The weather was a chilly 11C at the time, and she splashed down in the water in the harbour, which would have felt even colder.
Pattison, who made the jump with her 60-year-old son and 24-year-old grand-daughter, said the experience was “scary, really scary” but she wanted to do it to raise funds for two charities: the Fred Hollows Foundation and Red Puppy Appeal.
“But I just didn’t know how to set up these fundraiser pages. I’m still hoping people will donate to these charities when they read this,” she said.
Her son, Michael, said the bungy jump was originally planned as a celebration for his daughter Jeanie’s birthday.
“I asked mum if she’d join us and she said ‘yes’ without any hesitation,” he said. “When we found out there was no age limit, we went to get a medical clearance and then it’s all go.”
AJ Hackett Bungy co-founder and managing director Henry van Asch said it was “fantastic” to see three generations celebrating together with the jump.
He said, at 91, Pattison was the oldest person to bungy from the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
“This is testament to the fact that age is just a number and anyone can face their fears, or as we like to put it, live more and fear less.”