"I was going really well until I hit 99," said Jim Davison, who celebrates two special occasions Sunday - his 102nd birthday and starting his new job.
"My health was really good until I hit 99, when I had a back problem, and about four months ago I had a problem with one of my eyes. Now my mobility is limited and the doctors are hoping my eye will improve soon, but otherwise I'm OK," he told the Bangkok Post Sunday in the deep, measured voice of a veteran radio broadcaster.
Davison, who arrived in Thailand in 1965, is more excited about his new job, a radio show which makes its debut on Radio Thailand on Sunday, than celebrating his birthday, although he did admit he wouldn't mind if some friends dropped by to help him celebrate both. "My biggest problem is I'm running out of friends," he said.
Davison is a true veteran of radio in Thailand and has been on air doing various shows on a number of stations since he arrived 50 years ago.
"Coming from a family with a theatrical background it was my secret ambition to be a good singer or pianist. I was mediocre on both counts," he said. "It was radio that provided a lifetime of pleasure and fulfilment, brought me in contact with interesting people and in spite of the hard work, gave me lots of enjoyment."
Not many people make it to Davison's age and none of those who have reached 100 years or more still work. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the oldest person in the world still holding a job is 94, and is a female DJ - but breaking new ground is nothing new for Davison. Aged 28, he left Australia and his job at a Melbourne wool-broking firm to see the world. He managed to cover a fair chunk of it.
When World War II broke out he served with the American War Shipping Administration based in Boston, more commonly known as the Merchant Marine, and spent his days on the liberty ships in the stormy North Atlantic. "I went ashore a few times in some of the European ports and there was nothing but rubble and I was the only one there," he recalled. "I spent two and a half years crossing the North Atlantic, but nothing serious happened."
After the war he went to New York and found a job as an elevator boy in a building on Broadway. "I loved New York, but I was held up at gunpoint one night and robbed, so I decided to leave and in 1946 I headed to London. On the ship to London I met a lovely lady whose husband had a gold mine in Africa and I was offered a job. I worked in a small place called Prestea, in a country that was then called West Africa's Gold Coast and is now known as Ghana.
"After that I moved to the capital city and took an administrative job with Pan American Airways and did that for four years. Then I moved to Tangiers in Morocco and had a job in radio for the Pan American Broadcasting System. I lived in The Kasbah and had a wonderful time."
During his time in Morocco he loaned a friend some money. "Eventually he confessed that he couldn't raise the cash to pay me back and suggested I take over a bar he owned. When I walked into my newly acquired business for the first time, I couldn't help but notice there were rather a lot of very exotically made-up ladies sitting around the place. I realised I had become the proud owner of a bordello."
From Morocco, Davison headed back to London and worked in radio for one year before getting itchy feet again. He washed up in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, where he landed a job as a pianist at the Cecil Hotel in Lae. Davison is an accomplished piano player and singer and still tinkles the ivories from time to time. "Over a long period of years I worked in eight different countries. When I didn't have work I played the piano in hotels and low joints, and sometimes just played for meals."
Davison's next stop was Hong Kong, where he worked in television and radio from 1962-64, but he didn't make much money, so he left for a better paying job in Brunei. "There wasn't much to do there, but I did record live the royal wedding of the then Crown Prince, who is now the Sultan, and that was the highlight." After working in Brunei for one year, a friend invited him to Bangkok and in 1965 his ship docked at the Klong Toey port in Bangkok. His long journey came to an end.
He immediately drummed up work when English-language radio was in its infancy and finally dropped anchor. Davison had found a place he felt comfortable in and was happy to call home.
"I admire the tolerance, the respect for elders like myself, and I can go to a party with someone 20 years younger and I'm not classed as an old perv," he said of his adopted home. "The cities and towns are alive with activity and colour. They have the best food in the world.
"Thailand has been very kind to me, and in my radio work I've always received so much support and in my private life I've made some wonderful friendships."
He played a pioneering role in Thai radio and helped develop many of the formats and shows that endured for decades.
When the centenarian hits the airwaves on Radio Thailand's 88FM from 4pm to 6pm this afternoon and kicks off his new show with his co-host Lee Evanz, listeners will be treated to "old standards and contemporary music like Nina Simone" and "some risque jokes and stories", said Davison.
Davison's skills as a radio show host are finely honed, and there is always a touch of humour to keep listeners smiling. "The one great thing about being my age is I no longer have to avoid temptation - it avoids me," he said.
Last year, at 101, Davison was at the Bamboo Bar, schmoozing with the act (below)
