After losing his wife in 2006, a former Lynwood resident and war veteran spent more than 10 years creating a unique collection of Lego constructions and the 90-year-old said he is not planning on stopping.
London born Jhon Parker said he took two months constructing his very first Lego building and he now finds himself working faster on bigger pieces like the Taj Mahal and the London Bridge.
He has now built 14 different designs, and even though his children and grandchildren are not particularly interested in Lego, he gave each one of them a masterpiece to remind them of him.
Mr Parker is turning 91 next month and to celebrate he is hoping to receive another Lego kit of a garage to keep on building.
Some of these Lego Kits can cost between $200 to $500 and Mr Parker said he is not too worried about investing his money in them as it keeps him doing what he enjoys most.
Mr Parker lived in London during WWII and has a deep love for the city, as it would eventually inspire him to build the famous London buses.
“We weren’t told where we were going, so we just turned up to school with a little case and we were put on a bus as we were sent to the railway station,” he said.
“Eventually we were put on buses at night time and we were taken to a village hall and people would agree to adopt or look after us during the war.
“It was something like going to a market and picking up human beings, but we didn’t look at it that way.”
After the war was over, Mr Parker joined the British Army when he was 17 in 1946 and he stayed in the army for more than 20 years until he turned 40 and a year later he immigrated with his wife to Australia.
However, Mr Parker said he still doesn’t know exactly why he loves Lego so much, but has always found himself doing different things to keep him distracted.
With no desire to exhibit his special collection, Mr Parker said he has now fallen into a routine and has given up a lot of activities due to his old age, but Lego building time takes away that routine and makes him feel more alive than ever.
