Dr Harry turns 80

ON HIS BIRTHDAY THE TV VET REFLECTS ON LIFE, LOVE AND LIVING ON THE LAND

Sitting on the verandah, cup of tea in hand, Dr Harry Cooper is content as he takes in the view across the sprawling hills of his 50-hectare property.

With wallabies playing on the front lawn and birds chirping from the gum trees, for Dr Harry, it's where he's most at peace.

"It's our Sunday morning thing to sit out here with a tea or a coffee," says Dr Harry, who shares his Port Macquarie farm with his wife Susan, affectionately called 'Suze', and their menagerie of animals.

"It's where we come to unwind at the end of the day... it's quiet and it's just peace." Speaking to New Idea ahead of his 80th birthday on February 20, the Better Homes and Gardens star shares that he feels blessed to be celebrating this incredible milestone after experiencing health setbacks last year.

"I'm privileged to have had a wonderful life ... to have made so many good friends along the way, it's been fantastic," Dr Harry says, his voice thick with emotion.

"I'm privileged to have met Suze, she's a wonderful wife and a big support to me.

"And God willing, I've got a few more years left in me and I've got a few more tales to tell."