The oldest man in Belgium celebrated his 109th birthday on Sunday, telling friends and carers that the secret to a long life is "simply being content".
Jaak Broekx was born near the city of Bree, in Limburg province, on 6 August 1914 – just days after the start of the First World War. The oldest of eight siblings, he grew up on a farm where he worked until he was 100. Since August 2020, he has lived at the nearby De Gerkenberg care home.
"Jaak is in a wheelchair and is hard of hearing, but overall he is still feeling healthy," Bernadette Coninckx, a caregiver at De Gerkenberg, told Het Nieuwsblad. "He is well aware of what is happening around him. He finds it pleasant that he is the oldest man in Belgium, but he prefers not to be in the spotlight. He prefers to enjoy an evening of watching football in his room and the ordinary, everyday things."
Other caregivers at De Gerkenberg described Jaak, who never married, as a "very friendly" man who "knows very well what he wants" and whose memory "is still doing just fine".
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Jaak still has vivid memories of his experiences during the Second World War, when he was forced to flee his hometown to avoid being drafted by the German occupying army. He ended up in the city of Bruges while it was under Nazi bombardment.
"Together with my buddies, we hid under a large hedge," Jaak recalled. "When we arrived back [home], the soles had disappeared under our shoes and we walked in our socks. Those were hard times."
When asked what the secret to a long life is, Jaak was unequivocal. "First of all, drink plenty of water and eat healthily. And to my knowledge, no one has died from hard work. But the real secret is: simply being content."
Despite being Belgium's oldest man, Jaak is still not the country's oldest person. This prize goes to Magdalena Janssen from Zandhoven, in Antwerp province, who is 110.
