THREE heart surgeries and the effects of many years as a farmer could not deter Rockingham resident Jim Forster from living his dream.
At 92-years-old, he is as strong and active as ever, and rebuilds vintage motorcycles from the sanctuary of his front garage workshop.
“After I completed my first motorcycle rebuild, I tackled another and I just kept going,” he said. “They are all created from junk and are all a part of me – I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
In his younger years, Mr Foster was a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft engineer.
When he first joined the air force, he wanted to be a pilot, but instead was recruited for his engineering abilities from 1940 to 1945.
Mr Forster retired to Rockingham in 1974, sold his farm and embarked on another journey – working on his pieces of art.
“If you want to live to a ripe old age, then you’ve got to keep your mind and your body active,” he said.
In 1990, Mr Foster and 19 other members of the Vintage Motorcycle club rode from Perth to Sydney in a re-enactment of a similar trek in 1926.
“I took out my 1942 Harley Davidson rebuild and it performed admirably,” he said.
“I turned 72 years old on that trip and it was an extraordinary experience.”
As the oldest member of the Vintage Motorcycle Club, Mr Foster has seen it all.
His other hobbies included clay-pigeon shooting, where he won a couple of championships as a member of a local shooting club.