Newcastle Herald

Fortune favours the brave

Local by choice: Alf Carpenter, pictured for his 100th birthday in 2017, fought in several theatres of World War II before a joint decision while waiting for rescue saw him settle in Newcastle. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers.
Local by choice: Alf Carpenter, pictured for his 100th birthday in 2017, fought in several theatres of World War II before a joint decision while waiting for rescue saw him settle in Newcastle. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers.

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They say that good fortune favours the brave.

If you were to try and argue a case against that statement you'd have to completely ignore the life of Alf Carpenter.

Despite several opportunities to perish at a much younger age, especially during combat in WWII, Alf turned 103 in April.

A local of the Newcastle region for most of his adult life, Alf celebrated his birthday this year by sitting in the front yard with a beer, a picnic table, and a few simple decorations while neighbours wished him a happy birthday on their way past.

Surpassing the ton, as they say in cricket, not only gets you a letter from the Queen, it also gets you attention from media outlets like ours. As such, Alf has been written about on a number of occasions. For example, we've featured him in Newcastle Herald news stories a number of times. ABC Radio also recorded an interview with him for their Drive program on his birthday this year.

During that interview, Alf's adopted daughter Yvonne visited and Alf was wearing a few of his military decorations, including a medal around his neck that was for actions performed in the Battle of Crete.

That battle was significant for a number of reasons, not least of which was this normally-picturesque Greek island witnessed the first occasion where German paratroops were used in significant numbers, making it the first invasion in military history to be predominantly-airborne.

During his time in Crete, Alf wore some shrapnel from a mortar that led to damage of an optic nerve in his right eye, causing it to lose its sight years later which has since been partially-restored with a corneal transplant.

Having joined the army voluntarily in 1934, and married in 1939, Alf served in the 2/4th Battalion, an infantry battalion.

During WWII Alf also saw some serious action in the Anglo-Iraq War, a British-led campaign after Rashid Ali had seized power of Iraq with assistance from Germany and Italy in 1941.

The 2/4th Battalion returned to Australia to restore its strength of numbers after those campaigns, and were then sent back into action in 1944, this time to New Guinea.

It was cheating death again when his landing boat was hit which saw Alf stranded in the water overnight with Lieutenant Ted Lewis for company.

The pair decided that if they survived they'd go into business together, which they did, opening and running a general store in Warners Bay for many years.

A few days after his birthday this year, Alf also marked the occasion in much the same way for Anzac Day, spending the morning in front of his house because the marches in Sydney he has still been going to were cancelled due to lockdown.

From a safe distance, the street paid their respects in a way that nobody, least of all Alf, would have imagined just one year ago. With a bugler in attendance and the ABC's coverage on a speaker that someone organised, Alf had the honour of reciting the Ode of Remembrance while around 50 of his neighbours stood in the dawn light with their candles lit.

Alf told the Herald, "It was a real good Anzac Day, under the circumstances," he said. "The line-up here was tremendous."

You can visit Alf's Memories Timeline at memories.net/timeline/alf-carpenter-33328 to see more of his wonderful life.

Keep your memories alive for future generations. Visit memories.com.au or download the app today. It's where memories keep living.

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