LISTENING to George Rush recite poetry, it is hard to believe he celebrated his 100th birthday on Saturday.
His philosophy is to look forward in life, not backwards, but he certainly has many memories to think about and stories to tell.
Born at Kilcoy Hospital on January 7, 1917, Mr Rush was the seventh child of nine and the first boy.
He grew up on the family farm in Mooloolah, where he spent many hours cutting timber with his father and later worked at the sawmill and cutting railway sleepers for the government.
He married Audrey in 1941, celebrating almost 75 years together before she passed away.
A year after their wedding, Mr Rush joined the army, serving in Borneo. As a driver, he was often called on by senior officers to take them to the front line.
Mr Rush said the flight back from Borneo to Darwin on a Catalina flying boat took 10 hours.
On his return, Mr Rush managed a fruit shop at Gympie and then opened his own fruit barn at Southport.
He later worked for the Brisbane fruit markets, located in Roma Street before they moved to Rocklea.
Retiring on a war veteran’s pension in 1977 at the age of 60, Mr Rush became an avid vegetable gardener.
He still cares for orchids, which take pride of place outside his room at Lake Sherrin.
After living in Coorparoo for about 30 years, Mr and Mrs Rush moved to Cleveland in 1990 and Lake Sherrin in Thornlands in 2014.
He has two daughters, Jennifer and Judy, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, with another two on the way.
His daughters described the great-grandchildren as his delight.
About 50 family members and friends enjoyed a birthday morning tea with a garden theme at Lake Sherrin on Saturday, reading the congratulatory letters he received from the Queen, among others.
The only one of his eight siblings to reach 100 years, Mr Rush said the secret to his longevity was to “just forget about your age”.