Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Happy birthday to one of Gympie's great characters, Jack Waldock, a returned serviceman who celebrated his 102nd birthday yesterday. Christened John, but all his life known as Jack, the Gympie-born butcher served in Milne Bay, Port Moresby, in Papua New Guinea, where he survived Japanese attacks, malaria and even a midnight mission onto a live minefield to recover cattle carcasses. Jack learnt to butcher in the Great Depression, delivering meat on horseback when mince was twopence a pound. So, when cattle set off landmines, it was Jack—a sapper in charge of minefield defence around airstrip No. 3 at Milne Bay—tasked to recover the carcasses. After all Jack's effort, butchering with only a hacksaw after rescuing the cattle from the live minefield in the dark, the meat was so tough that the troops were stuck eating mince.

Before COVID, Jack would go to the RSL every Tuesday to support his brothers and sisters in the service and share his stories of being stalked by the enemy aircraft and serving with the Rats of Tobruk. Since he could not go to them, about 20 Gympie RSL members drove to him, surprising Jack on his birthday morning with signs, cupcakes and a rendition of 'Happy Birthday'. Once again, happy birthday, Jack.