Heaps Good South Aussies | ‘Turtling’ the secret to 101-year-old ‘Poppa Jack’s’ ageless grin

Jack Turner is fast approaching his 102nd birthday and says one unusual activity has become the most joyful part of his life.

Adelaide centenarian Jack Turner mightn’t know the secret behind his long life but he reckons it’s his hundreds of beloved turtles – a global emblem of longevity – that, well, keep him young.

The gently-spoken great-grandfather, lovingly referred to as “Poppa Jack”, turns 102 this May and has almost 300 long and short-necked shelled creatures at the seaside suburban home he’s lived in since 1950.

They hide in his garden, greet him on his porch and watch over him in his living room, carefully positioned between fine china and favourite family photographs, including of his adored late wife of more than 70 years, Merle.

The smallest and most delicate specimens he wears around his neck.

He has replica turtles in all shapes, sizes, colours and materials from clay and porcelain to silver, quartz and bone.

It’s taken him just two years to amass his impressive collection – which last count totalled 281 — with the help of his “turtling” sidekick and friend Jan Greig who visits once a week to join him on his hunt for turtles.

“We travel quite a lot; we’ve been north, south, east and west … we’ve been to Campbelltown, we’ve been to Gepps Cross, we’ve been to Port Adelaide, Two Wells … Strathablyn,” he says, adding the Jungle in Willunga Garden Centre which had a social media post featuring him “go viral”, is a favourite haunt.

Turtle collector Jack Turner, 101, with friend and turtle-hunting sidekick Jan Greig. Picture: Kelly Barnes

For Mr Turner it’s not so much a question of “why turtles” as “why not turtles?”.

“I have always been a collector and probably always will be … the most appealing thing about collecting is the chase,” the former land valuer and serviceman says.

As a young fellow he collected stamps, moving on to fine English porcelain until that hobby became too expensive before switching to a years-long interest in thimbles, connecting with thimble collectors from around the globe and writing about the small caps used to protect sewers’ thumbs for an international magazine.

But when his collection reached 2000 he decided it was time to find a new interest, shipping hiscollection overseas to feature as part of a larger exhibit.

“I was reading something one day and came across the word ‘chelonian’ … and that sort of got me on the turtle track and then I saw a little one at a garden centre and I thought, ‘Oh this is good, I will get a few’ and it started from there,” he says.

“As far as I am aware, each turtle I have is different … at least once a week I walk around and spend some time looking at what I have, admiring them and thinking ‘I can’t believe there are so many turtles out there’.”

Collecting turtles is helping keeping Jack Turner, who turns 102 in May, spritely. Picture: Kelly Barnes

And does he have a favourite?

Clad in a turtle-print shirt, he shakes his head as he picks up one, then another to admire.

“Well I have many favourites, they are all my favourite up to a point … this bloke (a striking large, lifelike blue-green specimen) is a real beauty – if I was going to fall in love with a turtle, I think this might be it.

“But each turtle has a story and a personality of its own … each one is different.”

Asked if he gives his turtles names, he quietly chuckles: “I thought of doing that but … no I think that is a bit of a ridiculous thing to do.”

Jack Turner is an ardent collector of turtles with just some of the 300 turtles he has collected. Picture: Kelly Barnes

The kind and gentle man who has never smoked or drunk – other than to raise a toast to the war’s end – is often asked the secret to longevity.

“I’ve no idea; I have been fortunate and had good health … today ‘turtling’ is the most important thing for me, for the joy that it brings me,” he says.

“The magic of collecting is you find things you didn’t know existed … it’s a fantastic feeling.”

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Originally published as Heaps Good South Aussies | ‘Turtling’ the secret to 101-year-old ‘Poppa Jack’s’ ageless grin