A glass of warm water and two tablespoons of olive oil a day is what 94-year-old Ted Schell attributes to his health and longevity.
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Oh and a couple of stubbies of Boags now and again, he adds cheekily.
This was the advice he gave NRL commentator Andrew Voss at a Bulldogs-Eels match interview recently.
As the oldest living person to have played first grade for the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, Ted is a living legend.
And to honour this, the club invited Ted to join the annual Old Boys Reunion at Accor Stadium in Sydney over the June long weekend.
Ted began life in Canberra and grew up playing league there.
He moved up through junior league and played first grade for Canberra North.
At age 19, Ted was selected, along with good mate Pat Rankin, to play for Monaro against the first French rugby league touring team in 1951.
This was a significant moment, and Ted recalled the calibre of the French players on and off the field.
Club scouts attended that match, and he and Pat were invited to trial for Canterbury. Not yet the Bulldogs, they were called the Berries at the time.
Both players were selected, but due to work commitments it was 1953 before Ted arrived and began with the club.
The boys from Canberra made an impression, and both scored paid contracts. They were the only players at the club to do so.
The £150 a season was a significant amount of money then - Ted said it equated to about half a wage. The ten pound player of the match awards were prized, and of those he got many.
At the end of the season a player could be awarded an additional 'Player's Bonus' of £83.
All the players, paid or not, had to front up to their regular work on Mondays. He was a brickie at the time.
Playing front row, and every inch of his six feet, Ted had an outstanding first season playing 18 competition games with the Canterbury Berries.
Early in his second season, he sustained an injury that ended his league career.
"I had a good year that [first] year...but about a third of the way through the second year I did my knee in...all the ligaments down one side," he said.
"It was against Manly at Belmore Oval, and big Ken Charlton the other front rower, a monster of a bloke...I got up from the tackle and my whole leg, you could swing it in a circle, and I said 'Kenny drag me off'.
"Well that was the end of you in those days [but] now you're back on the paddock in six weeks."
The injury sent Ted back to night school, bricklaying was over, and he got his builders licence.
Marriage and four children then came, and Ted landed in Tomakin where he continued to live today.
Fast forward 70 years, and Ted was surprised to learn he was the oldest living former player. With that distinction the club flew Ted and his family to Sydney for the reunion.
Player 187 was presented with a medal and jersey with his number. A proud and jubilant moment for a short but bright career for the front rower. Ted said he felt honoured.
"After 70 years - I did feel honoured," he said.
"It was nearly 70 years exactly since I was down there...I thought 'geez fancy someone digging this up'.
"But it was nice."
It was a special weekend that also saw Ted enjoy the exciting Bulldogs versus Eels match ending in a tight 22 to 18 victory for the Dogs.
