A veteran’s tale of 100 years
In 100 years of life, Eddie Ham has travelled from country Victoria to fighting from the air in World War II and back again, fallen in love twice and had four beautiful children.
Born 6 May 1925, Mr Ham celebrated his 100th birthday this year.
Growing up on a farm about 10 miles west of Rochester and attending high school in Echuca, Mr Ham remembers as far back as 1928 when his father bought his first car, something Mr Ham would learn to drive at just 13-years-old.
By the time he was 18, Mr Ham had joined the Air Training Corp as the war in Europe intensified and it was gaining momentum closer to home shores.
Mr Ham, and pilot Dick Scott, flew in a Beaufighter, while others flew in Bostons, but “soon, we were in the action against the Japanese”.
He was based at Morotai in what was then the Dutch East Indies and the years of the war were spent fighting and escaping death, navigating unknown territories and waters.
On 10 June, the date of the allied invasion, Mr Ham and his pilot, Mr Scott, were preparing for flight.
“We got into the air and I think my pilot knew that he was going to be in trouble. He said to me a few times, ‘let’s get it over with’.
“The engine failed. There was a reef around the island and it wasn’t so deep there. We crashed inside the reef. It was a violent crash. I couldn’t see anything on the ground until I woke up after I got knocked out.”
Mr Ham suffered from the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae being crushed from the impact and a few abrasions on his arms.
Sadly, Mr Scott didn’t survive. He died at the age of 20.
Noting his service as “necessary” Mr Ham said there were so many times when he “shouldn’t have come back” and “at least twice I should have died”.
Mr Ham served as part of 34 Squadron until the end of the war, helping transport cargo, men and supplies across the Pacific.
The marvellous Monty Maizels: a life of film and radio over 102 years
From delivering an iconic line in an Australian classic to working with some of Australia’s greatest radio talent, Monty Maizels has had a life and career like no other.
Celebrating his 102nd birthday on Thursday 26 June surrounded by family in Kilsyth, Monty’s mind and cheeky smile remained as sharp as a tack.
Admitting that he’s “never not been an actor”, fooling everyone at birth, Monty’s earliest memory of acting was at the age of eight when he played Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk for a local production in London.
Fast forward to 1997 and Monty would be cast as another character named Jack but this time in one of Australia’s most notable films: The Castle.
As the neighbour of the Kerrigans, Monty’s character Jack gets to deliver the line “yeah, f*** ‘em’ – a line that would become well-known among film buffs.
“It’s the first time I ever heard him swear,” Monty’s son Andrew said.
One day on the set of The Castle, in between scenes, Monty was left in the company of famed actor and director Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell, known for roles in Breaker Morant and Ned Kelly, getting to chat and natter about everything and nothing.
While acting was a hobby for Monty, his career in radio began decades before.
“It was always exciting and fun,” Monty said.
Survival against all odds: the story of one man’s service in both World Wars
The tale of Joseph Leslie O’Rourke, a veteran of both World Wars, is one of luck, determination and a will to survive against all odds.
From the shores of Gallipoli to the battlefields of France, and then on home soil, Joseph spent many years of his life serving his country and eventually settling in Montrose for a little more than a decade.
Born in 1897, Joseph was no stranger to hard work, nor hardship, in the early part of his life.
At just 15 years old in September 1912, Joseph and his father were travelling by train to Coburg when it collided with a special showground train bound for Spencer Street Station.
Newspaper articles at the time said “several passengers were pinned by the wreckage” requiring extrication by rescuers.
Riding the train up near the engine, Joseph was “jammed by the leg and he groaned with pain”. Rescuers “hacked with vigour and skill”, freeing him from the wreck.
At 18, he joined the war effort. Joseph served under the Australian Imperial Force’s 14th Battalion, fighting in Gallipoli for the entirety of Australia’s campaign.
Surviving through illness and the horrors of Gallipoli, Joseph was reassigned to the 46th Battalion in 1916 with the rest of the remaining veterans of the 14th Battalion, destined for France and the Western Front.
Throughout his service, he was severely injured three times and had to be hospitalised. The second time, however, he met his wife Kate.
Joseph was officially discharged as a Private on 22 May 1919 in Melbourne at 22 and a half years old after 1611 days in service and 1415 days abroad.
By the time the Second World War began, Joseph was prepared and ready to serve yet again, signing up in 1941. This time, he served on home soil as a Sergeant at Mangalore.
After all the luck Joseph seemed to have in his life, just 10 years after exiting his service, he suffered a heart attack and died before reaching the hospital, aged 65 years in 1962.
99 tales and a bottle of champagne to celebrate Dawn Rooke’s birthday
From a chance meeting with Marilyn Monroe to administering first aid to firefighters in some of Victoria’s worst disasters, Dawn Rooke has seen and done much in her 99 years.
Celebrating her 99th birthday on Tuesday 30 September surrounded by her friends at the Lilydale Croquet Club, Ms Rooke was delighted and overjoyed by the spread they put on for her.
First joining the croquet club in 2005, Ms Rooke still plays regularly, showing off her skills and competitive edge.
But before her days playing croquet, Ms Rooke was an adventurer from a very young age.
By the age of 22, Ms Rooke had married an English master mariner in London, something that would take her around the world multiple times.
“I’ve had an interesting life.”
From the South of France to the very top of the northern hemisphere, to places like Hammerfest in Norway, Ms Rooke saw much of the world in four years, experiencing life abroad and gaining many memories.
But there’s one story from around 1956 that she could never forget.
Her husband’s ship had docked when an invitation to attend a dinner party came from someone of rank. Ms Rooke recalls it being a count or viscount.
“It was a big mansion of a place, and my husband couldn’t go because he had to be on duty. So I went on my own,” she said.
“We were changing for dinner, and there was a knock on my door, and I opened it, and there was Marilyn Monroe. She was also invited, and she said to me, ‘excuse me, have you got a safety pin?’ And very quietly she said, ‘I’ve broken my strap, would you please use the safety pin and fasten it?’
“I didn’t realise it was her to begin with. And then it suddenly dawned on me that it might be Marilyn Monroe.”
When not jetsetting across the globe, raising children or playing croquet, Ms Rooke spent 21 years volunteering for the Red Cross, teaching first aid and administering it during fire disasters.
“We would treat the firefighters when they came in with burnt feet and injuries. So we would treat them, put them to bed, and feed them, and that’s what I mostly did during the bushfires,” she said.
“I would also go out on road accidents or aircraft accidents. Anything, we were called.”
Endless devotion after 70 years married
After a lifetime of devotion to each other and decades separating their newly married selves from their ageing bodies and minds, one thing remains evident between Mary and Frank Ruigrok: their love is pure and deep, a love that transcends distance and life’s challenges.
Seventy years ago, a young Mary, 25, and a young Frank, 26, married just one day before they boarded a ship and sailed for Australia, leaving behind their homeland, Holland, in search of a better life.
It was 6 October 1955, 10 years since World War II ended, and life in the Netherlands was somewhat bleak for families and young couples.
Mary was from Heemstede, and Frank was from Hillegom, both regions known for tulip bulb growing.
Between meeting and marriage, Frank worked at the bulb fields. Having left school at 14, after his work day, he’d attend night school to study horticulture.
Deciding to leave Holland was a choice Frank said they “never regretted”.
When asked what it was like moving to Australia in their mid-20s, Frank said “it was an adventure”.
With so many years spent together, by each other’s side, when Mary was diagnosed with dementia, Frank took it upon himself to care for her.
But earlier this year, Mary had a fall and damaged her hip. In March, she moved into MiCare in Kilsyth. Frank still lives independently at their family home.
Their daughter Lynette said it’s one of the most challenging things they’ve had to deal with, being separated from each other.
“That’s the really hard thing, they both miss each other,” she said.
“I wish we were together,” Mary said.
