Centenarian Bert Le-Merton raises big money for Soldier On charity

Bert, who lives in a retirement home in Lake Macquarie, teamed up with the Soldier On organisation, which raises funds to help prevent veteran suicide.

Bert said his walking feats were aimed at helping "personnel having difficulties settling back into civilian life".

Bert served in North Africa and the Pacific during World War II with the 2/13th Battalion, 9th Division, Australian Infantry Force.

His battalion first engaged German troops on April 4, 1941. The battalion entered the Siege of Tobruk six days later.

Getting back to the present day, Bert has walked 96 kilometres this month, which is the length of the Kokoda Track.

Anglican Care and Samaritans staff have vowed to match his efforts this month. They'll be wearing Team Bert T-shirts at a fundraising event on Friday.

"He is such an inspirational man. At the age of 102, he is an amazing example of positive and healthy ageing," said Kylie Jacques, of Anglican Care.

"One of Bert's favourite sayings is that you need to use it or lose it. He believes that his regular walks around the block are the secret to his longevity."

Our story on the Jewboy Cave near Mount Sugarloaf sparked a memory for Tony Davis, of Elermore Vale.

He was part of a group of about 30 people from Newcastle on a tour of China.

"Part of that trip involved exploring a huge underground cavern," he said.

"About halfway through the subterranean trip, while marvelling at a deep river that had its banks at our feet, all the lights went out. It was pitch black.

"We all stood perfectly still, aware of the running stream before us. No safety fence here."

One of the group, named Charlie, spoke up.

"Now, folks, stand perfectly still. I am going to teach you a song. Try really hard to get all the words of this song exactly right. Everyone must sing," Tony recounted Charlie telling the group.

Charlie began singing a ditty called "The Big Snake Hissed in the Little Snake's Pit One Evening At Taronga Zoo".

"We all tried hard," Tony said.

"He was about to start verse 14 when the lights came on. No one fell in the river. In fact, no one had moved."

Charlie was a quick thinker and smart cookie, keeping everyone distracted and calm like that in a crisis.

Meanwhile, Wallsend's Alf McDonald told us about a cave of his boyhood.

It's a somewhat secret spot in the bush, not far from Wallsend.

"We used to go there a lot when we were kids. We used to love it. It was our backyard playground. My father knew about it," he said.

"I get the feeling something might happen to it, then it's lost. It's just memories I suppose."

Alf is concerned that development may eventually encroach into the cave. He took an Aboriginal contact to have a look at the cave to try to help protect it.

"He thought it was the biggest cave he'd seen and he'd been along the Sugarloaf range and the Watagans," he said.

He said the cave appeared to have a stalactite in it, but he wondered whether it was a tree root "encased with dust".

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