Goulburn's George Lazenby turned 80 on September 5.
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The man known as Australia's only James Bond was born in Goulburn in 1939.
His father worked on the railways and his mother worked at Fosseys store.
Young Lazenby attended Goulburn Public School and Goulburn High School, before leaving to become a mechanic and car salesman in Queanbeyan.
These early days in Goulburn are captured in a recent documentary called Becoming Bond.
He fell in love with a woman in Canberra, though her father opposed the pairing, and she left for London.
He followed her there and eventually found work as a car salesman before being spotted by a photographer and offered male-modeling work.
Due to his rugged good looks, he became a highly-sought after model, before landing the role as James Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Despite being offered a seven-movie contract to continue in the role, he famously turned down the offer and pursued his other interests, apart from appearing in other films, such as The Man From Hong Kong (1975).
Mr Lazenby has visited Goulburn twice in recent years for the festival that was named in his honour - Spyfest.
During his last visit here he told the Goulburn Post that he had no regrets about how things had turned out.
"I just told them I wasn't doing another Bond film and they kept raising the money - even to a $1m - but my agent advised me not to do any more Bond films - so I grew my hair," he said.
"From that point on, I found I couldn't get on another movie - I was blacklisted. I started working in real estate and I bought a boat with the last bit of Bond money I had and then I sailed around the Mediterranean for 15 months with a wonderful girl and we went on to have kids and I married her and 24 years later we separated.
At the end of Becoming Bond, he says he has no regrets about anything.
"You have to be real with yourself and it is not easy with all of the influences you have coming at you," he said.
"Becoming Bond was never my end goal. Living life on your own terms is much fuller. The best thing you can do is know yourself and be yourself. I may not be great, but I'm an original."
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is now recognised as one the greatest Bond films and even Sir Roger Moore has hailed Lazenby as one of the truly great Bond stars.
Recently, Mr Lazenby has been announced as the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the CineFest International Film Festival in Miskolc, Hungary. The award will be personally presented to him on September 21.
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David Cole
Journalist at the Goulburn Post
Journalist at the Goulburn Post
