There were cars there that even I could recognise by their shape alone-probably due to their age.

The atmosphere was electric and I met a wonderful gentleman – Dick McNeill. 91 years young. He recounted tales of his experiences with the Australian Imperial Force in the Middle-East during WW2 – 1096 days in places with names familiar to us all- Alexandria, Aleppo, Syria, Lebanon.

He told how his regiment was sent to board ships, with their trucks and equipment bound for either Europe, if Churchill had his way, or Australia, if Curtin had his way.

They did not know where they were going to end up.

Headed firstly towards India and Churchill, they were stopped, refuelled and turned towards Australia by Curtin. Dick’s ship travelled down the coast of Africa, then south towards Antarctica in order to avoid the Japanese Submarines that were by then roaming the Ocean. The Australian ships had no escort with them and were vulnerable. Nearly one month later they docked in Adelaide.

It was 1942.

Dick retired in 1956 and joined the Kurrajong Fire Brigade. Today, aged 91 he is still an active member although no longer physically fighting fires, he takes the recruits out on training sessions.

An avid gardener, Dick grows all his own organic vegetables, and works two days a week in a nursery.

This weekend he drove from his home in Kurrajong to the Steam Fair to be with his son Bob, where they camped at the grounds overnight. Dick left early on Sunday morning to drive back home to be in time for church.

In 2001 Dick’s home, and everything in it, was burnt down in the Christmas bush fires, so apart from anything else in his life currently, he is also re-writing the book he had written on his war-time experiences, as the manuscript was lost in the fire.

What a wonderful example to us all — Good onya Dick.