A Saskatchewan veteran celebrated his 100th birthday in style.
People in the community of Lucky Lake, about 150 kilometres south of Saskatoon, got together Feb. 3 to mark the occasion with Donald Couch.
“I don’t feel like 100, and I wonder where the time went,” Couch said of reaching the milestone.
Along with all the guests who came out for the party, Couch said he was thrilled with a special treat: a visit from the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron —the unit Couch served with in the Second World War.
The Winnipeg-based unit sent a Hercules transport plane to do a series of fly-bys.
“First one, they dropped out a bunch of ribbons. The next pass they dropped out cupcakes, that came down pretty good, then the next pass they waggled their wings and said goodbye,” Couch said.
Couch noted he didn’t have any particular secret to living a long life.
“I don’t know why I lived to be 100. I never smoked, I never drank too much. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it,” he said.
Couch spent five years in the military before coming back to Saskatchewan. He credited years of farm work for helping to keep him fit.
— With files from Jessie Anton.