ON the eve of his 100th birthday, John Cutler was hesitant to share what he believes is the secret to his century.
“I’m not going to tell you,” he said jokingly when asked the question.
“But I enjoy a glass of red wine a night and a couple of bickies.”
As the born and raised Mildurian celebrates 100 years of his life today, he looked back on his time fondly, having done many interesting things over the past century.
One aspect of his life that particularly stood out for him was his time as a corporal in the Royal Australian Air Force, in which he served in the New Guinea and Philippines intelligence units established to intercept and decode Japanese aircraft signals.
“There was only a small group of us attached to the American Army, and the chief signal officer would not go without an Australian signal unit during the war,” Mr Cutler said.
When he returned from the war, Mr Cutler married his wife, Betty, with whom he has two children, Ross and Libby, and became a dried fruit horticulturist, earning himself the nickname of ‘the currant king’.
Mr Cutler was also heavily involved in the RSL, and also became involved in Legacy after he retired.
“When I joined the RSL, there was only a shed and a weatherboard house there. Now look at it today,” he said.
Nowadays, Mr Cutler spends a lot of his time at home, kept company by his blind Australian Terrier, Pickles.
“She’s a dear little dog, the only time she’ll bark is at me in the morning when she wants her breakfast,” he said.
“She’s a good companion. She sits there all day and keeps an eye on me.”
Family and friends from across Victoria and South Australia are set to travel to Mildura for Mr Cutler’s official 100th birthday celebrations, which will take place on Sunday.
