IF there’s a secret to ageing well, Sam Teed might just have found it hidden in the gardens of Rippon Lea Estate in Elsternwick.
For 25 years, Mr Teed has been a garden volunteer at the expansive estate in Melbourne’s east, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.
Mr Teed credits gardening with helping keep him fit and active at the age of 94.
“Gardening is a very healthy form of exercise and it’s rewarding because you get something out of it,” he said.
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READ NOW“If you plant a few zucchini bushes, then you can sit back and watch them as they ripen.”
Once a week, Mr Teed travels from his Balwyn home to Rippon Lea to tend to the estate gardens for about five hours.
“I like working in the lawn area as it has garden beds and a lot of colour all the way around,” he said.
While volunteering at the gardens, Mr Teed bumped into Australian model Silvana Philippoussis, who was doing a photo shoot for The House of Wellness magazine, out with your Herald Sun this Saturday and Sunday.
PHILIPPOUSSIS FAMILY MOVING BACK HOME TO AUSTRALIA
Mr Teed encourages everyone to either visit, or consider volunteering at the estate.
“Rippon Lea is a big estate and they rely on volunteers to help keep the place in good shape,” he said.
“If people are interested in doing something for the community, you couldn’t do better than go and work at Rippon Lea.”
The National Trust will feature a Paul Bangay-designed display at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, which runs until Sunday, March 25.