A century celebrated in the sky

KENNETH Francis Tunley was born in London on February 2 in 1918 and chose to celebrate turning 100 high in the sky on Monday morning at Tiger Moth World in Torquay.

Kenneth, a World War II veteran, flew as a passenger in a Boeing Stearman 1933, with family and friends watching from below.

Kenneth’s children have lived in Torquay for the past 14 years and were extremely proud of their dad for taking to the sky.

“I knew he could do it, he’s always been a bit of a daredevil,” David said.

“There’s a bit of aviation history in the family, so it was great for him to finally get to do the flight; he’s been very excited.

“He’s also a troublemaker and very cheeky. He was a chorister and now sings in a choir, but as a younger man, when he attended church to sing he would sneak off down to the pub for a pint during the sermons and would return very angelic for the final bit of singing!”

Kenneth took off for a 20-minute flight across the coast and returned with a big smile.

“It was really good, I really enjoyed it,” Kenneth said.

When asked if he was cold, Kenneth said, “No it was good, I was as warm as toast”! Kenneth’s story will also be featured on Channel 10’s The Project.