86-Year-Old Ice Cream Man Celebrates 40 Years on the Road

The "Greensleeves" melody has played thousands of times from Alex Deak's ice cream van, but the 86-year-old has learned to tune it out. "If I would listen to it all the time, I reckon I would be mental by now," he says with a smile.

Since 1986, Deak and his 1972 Bedford CF van have been a constant presence at Mount Gambier tourist spots in South Australia. Known to locals as both "the Ice Cream King" and "Mr Whippy," he's served ice cream to four generations of children and adults.

The Hungarian migrant's journey to becoming an ice cream vendor started during World War II. As a four-year-old in southern Hungary, he encountered his first ice cream man and fell in love with the joy the vendor brought to his community.

After fleeing to Austria as a teenager and studying business in Germany, Deak came to Australia in the 1960s to work as a pine faller. His midlife career change at 45 surprised everyone, especially his son Byron, whose friends had a field day with the news.

"There's a lot of jokes, it's like, 'Oh, your dad's Mr Whippy,'" Byron recalls. Locals have shared countless stories about chasing the van up hills for kilometers, trying to catch Deak's attention for a treat.

Byron once expected his father to pass the business down to him. "My mother wanted him to retire a few years ago and he just wouldn't," Byron says. "I think we're gonna have to bury him in it."

Sunny's Take

For Deak, the ice cream van is more than a business. It's what keeps him mentally and physically active, giving his community a gathering place on wheels.

The 53-year-old van's suspension even provides unexpected relief for his back problems, which he describes as feeling "like an angel's wings." His community isn't at the pub or in social clubs; it's the people who come to his window for a cold treat.

While Guinness World Records lists the longest career of an ice cream distributor at 67 years, that record holder only operated his vehicle for 37 years. Deak's 40-year run in the same van might make him the true record holder.

But breaking records isn't what drives him. "I'm privileged," he says of his four decades as Mr Whippy.

When the weather warms up in Australia, Deak will start his 41st season, determined to keep going until 90.