Cape Breton Fisherman Who Fished Till He Was 76 Turns 100, Shares Secret to Long Life

Illustration - Simona Sirio/Shutterstock

Last month saw longtime Nova Scotia fisherman Ron Ingram celebrate his centennial year birthday with friends and family. Before turning 100, Ingram shared a few words as to the secret to leading a life well lived.

“I drink a good drop of rum,” he said. “I never used to get drunk, but I like a good drink of rum.”

Ingram’s initial plans to host an open house bash for the entire community in March was derailed because of the pandemic, and the planned celebration with family and friends last Saturday had to incorporate social distancing measures even still.

In his hometown of Neil’s Harbour in north Cape Breton, Ingram was known among locals as a real “go-getter,” remaining a fisherman right up until the age of 76. “I didn’t want to quit even then,” he told CBC. He also became a volunteer firefighter in 1972 when the Neil’s Harbour/ New Haven fire department first opened.

The fisherman’s granddaughter Shannon Ingram credits her father’s long life in part to his active lifestyle and clean living habits. “He’s worked hard,” she said, CTV reported. “He’s eaten all food that he has grown, hunted, fished, or, in some way, pickled, bottled. He’s eaten no processed food in his life.”

Neil’s Harbour Reimar/Shutterstock

Born in Newfoundland in 1920, Ingram started fishing at the young age of 9 years old. He moved to the small fishing village of Neil’s Harbour in Nova Scotia, Canada, 75 years ago.

At that time, Newfoundland was still a British colony, and if he wanted to work in Canada, fishing was all he was allowed to do. “Coming to Canada, you could only go fishing,” he shared. “If you was going to do something else, they'd send you back home.”

For a few years, he worked on the Great Lakes in Ontario before moving back to Cape Breton around 1945. “[It was] too warm for me,” he recounted.

Over the years, Ingram has seen his hometown change considerably. “There was, I think, three cars when I came here,” he recalled. “And one truck. And now if there’s three people in a house, there’s gotta be two cars, anyway.”

Ingram’s daughter Kathy MacKinnon recalls a time when her father would sell a pound of mackerel for only $0.02. She credited her father as being a hard worker and a “good provider.” “[W]e always had what we needed. And times were rough,” she shared.

Neil’s Harbour Chrisontour84/Shutterstock

In addition to mackerel, Ingram also fished for lobster, cod, swordfish, snow crab, and scallops. He would eventually come to own six wooden fishing ships.

Although he’s no longer a fisherman, Ingram spends time mending fishing nets for local fishermen. He also still checks the sea conditions after waking up in the morning. “First thing I do, I lives close to the water, see what it’s like,” he said.

He still regularly attends volunteer fire department meetings and also participates in fundraisers that involve peeling potatoes to make French fries. A good friend named Billy Hogan, who also volunteered alongside Ingram for 33 years, attests to his work ethic.

“When most people are getting ready to retire, he was just getting started. So that makes him one in a million,” Hogan said.

Former fire department chief Greg Organ recently bought a bottle of rum to help Ingram honor the birthday milestone.

“Not many people can say they’ve bought a bottle of rum for a 100-year-old man,” Organ said. Meanwhile, Ingram announced that he would be happy to “get on a big drunk” for his centennial celebration.