Goulburn resident Roy Hammond to celebrate 100th birthday

But the reality started sinking in this week when birthday messages arrived from King Charles, the Governor General, NSW Governor, Australian Prime Minister, NSW Premier and Goulburn MP, Wendy Tuckerman. There was also a special certificate from federal veterans affairs minister, Matt Keogh, for the World War Two veteran.

Mr Hammond was quietly chuffed. The avid cricket fan will hit his century on January 18. He is among the first centenarians in Australia to receive a message from King Charles. But he was most looking forward to a large gathering of family and friends in Newcastle on January 23.

"It's been a great life," the Goulburn resident said.

Born at Punchbowl, he was the second youngest of 10 children to Elizabeth (nee Woodward) and William Hammond. The family of eight boys and two girls grew up in the suburb and then Ashbury. Roy attended school at Canterbury and at age 17, convinced his mother to up his age so he could join the Australian Military Forces.

"As a boy I used to watch the military parades go past our church every Sunday and that's where I got the desire to join," Mr Hammond said.

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He joined the 2/13^th battalion and sailed on the Queen Mary for the Middle East in 1940. In Egypt, the battalion, by then reassigned from the 7^th to 9^th Division, trained in desert warfare.

"The Battle of El Alamein was my first experience in warfare. That was an experience no one could forget," Mr Hammond said.

Part of the division was engaged in the battle for Tobruk but Corporal Hammond was mainly at El Alamein where troops turned German commander Rommel's forces around. It was a major turning point in the war.

"They brought us back to Palestine and I remember a big parade at Gaza airstrip," he said.

"The (commander) said he was never so proud to have led the 9^th division."

While in Palestine, Corporal Hammond was a member of the military police, undertaking map routing and convoy escorts.

The battalion returned to Australia in February, 1943 and retrained in jungle warfare on the Atherton Tablelands deployment the following September to Lae in New Guinea. There they fought off the Japanese advance and then "island hopped" before finishing the war in Borneo.

"War is a wicked thing because nobody wins," Mr Hammond said.

Back in Sydney, he undertook a carpentry and joinery traineeship. He also fell in love with Laurel Boothe, whom he'd known before the war. She worked in a friend's cake shop.

They married at Canterbury in 1947 and subsequently had three daughters - Denise, Susan (Saunders) and Christine.

With a family to keep, Mr Hammond started his own business - the Ashbury Building Company. He ran it for 10 years before opting for a change, this time running a mixed business at Marrickville. Next, he became a chauffeur with the Ford Motor Company.

"Occasionally he would get a Ford convertible and drive us all to Bondi Beach, which we all remember," Sue said.

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In his varied working life, Mr Hammond also had a bus run at Lake Macquarie, a service station with NRMA depot, entered the insurance industry and ran a distribution business. In between he was a Rotary member for 25 years and Royal Newcastle Hospital board member for 15 years. The family was also deeply involved in the Anglican church.

"It was a hard working, down to earth family life," he said.

Sue said at age 12 her father sold newspapers to tram travellers because his family needed money.

"He's had a very busy life. I can hardly remember a time when he wasn't working," she said.

"Dad was tough but he provided. It was a different era."

Mr Hammond only retired at age 80 from his distribution business, which Sue had earlier purchased. Laurel passed away some years ago.

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He moved to Goulburn in his nineties and has spent six years in the city. Up until a mild stroke last September, Mr Hammond was living independently. He now lives with Sue and husband, Saint Saviour's Cathedral Dean, The Very Reverend Phillip Saunders.

In his spare time, he enjoys short walks, listening to music, spending time on his iPad, which he mastered at age 95, and connecting with family.

On his birthday, Mr Hammond will enjoy a zoom catch-up with his family, including 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren, before a large gathering in Newcastle on January 23.

He had no hesitation when asked the secret to his longevity.

"Work hard, be honest with everyone and treat people with respect. If you do that, you can't go wrong," Mr Hammond said.

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