A pretty special Golden Age session today, for a lovely Gentleman I have been trying to capture for over a year now.
Cecil Robert James Fish celebrated his 103rd birthday yesterday!
Known to his family as Bob, he was born in Temora in a place called Quandary.
He was one of 11 children, and the only still alive today.
He used to walk 3 miles to school, but left at age 14 years to start cutting wood. School wasn't for me, he told me. I wanted to do what I pleased, & not have someone telling me what to do..
He proudly has a picture of his first car framed. He said he was 15 when he bought it, & it was 15 pound. He didn't have a licence so his brother drove it until he did.
Bob received a conscription letter, telling him he needed to go to war at age 19.
Bob married & soon his wife Edna was pregnant. He was in Kingaroy completing his army training when he got a telegram to say his son had arrived. As a soldier, you couldn't just leave to see your family. He had to wait until Robert was almost 12 months old before they first met.
He was in the 1st Australian Field Squadron RAE.
He arrived in Milne bay in August 1943.
We built roads & bridges, my job was that of an engineer.
He recounted a story about a trip where he narrowly escaped being killed. He went on a trip at night, with about 5-6 men to post some letters.
Bob offered to get out & post the letters & as he approached the post box there was a sentry guard.
Bob spoke to him & gestured that he was just posting the letters. Assuring him they were not Japanese.
As he was walking back he got to about 20 feet away from & the sentry opened fire on him.
Th sentry opened fire with an Owen gun thinking he was the enemy. He put the whole 32 rounds at me, I dived behind the truck & hid behind the wheels to protect himself. Unbelievably not one bullet hit him..
Upon returning from the war Bob & Edna lived with his Mother for a time, before she told him it was time to buy his own home.
They bought a home in Fairfield for 3607 pounds. They ended up with 6 children. Their final son was quite an unexpected surprise Bob said.
His wife Edna used to care for younger children as an income. She would have up to 10 children under 3 to look after during the day.
Bob bought a truck & returned to hauling wheat, cement & wood.
Edna passed away at age 88 from Dementia in 2009.
Bob said he after he retired, he was happy to pass away at 85 years old.. but time had other plans it seems.
Other than a bowel operation at age 99 Bob has never had any major health complications. His hearing & sight is now worse for wear, but he still lives independently at his home of 50 years.
He climbed the Sydney Harbour bridge at age 80 & only handed his licence in at age 95.
He did a lot of travelling around in a caravan over his time, but when his daughter took him to Paris for a trip at age 85, he didn't like it, & asked to return back home after a week.. which he did.. alone..
One of the images I took alongside Bob is that of him & his granddaughter Erica, who is in the Navy. It was taken in 2016 at the Anzac day march.
He has 12 Grandchildren & 12 (plus 1 on the way) Great grandchildren.
Bob is truly amazing, he had so many stories of things that happened during the war, stories about his grandchildren & the time he spent with them, as well as life advice his father gave him.. like marry the worst, meanest, toughest woman you can find..because then if she changes once you get married, it can only be for the better..
