LOCALS gasped when they saw the Coonamble boy’s face appear on the big screen.
Rusty McWilliam was no Hollywood actor, but his starring role in the 1941 capture of Tobruk caught everyone in the tiny New South Wales town by surprise.
There he was – the 22-year-old shipped to the Middle East the year previous – rigging an Aussie slouch hat up a flagpole after a flash of Allied victory on January 22.
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“That was when Australians were first in action,” he said. “It was on the news on the reel.”
“My family back in Coonamble saw it. Everybody got up in the theatre and clapped because it was a big deal.”
Mr McWilliam, who lives at Thornlands, turned 100-years-old on Monday, September 17 but can still remember everything that followed in WWII.
His 2/4 infantry battalion – part of the 19th brigade – helped secure Wadi Derna, before moving to garrison Benghazi the next month.
They were then sent to Greece in April to resist the Germans.
Mr McWilliam said he had foot problems and was in a field hospital when he was told to leave to avoid German capture.
He was caught after walking south but later escaped during an air attack, making it the Piraeus beachhead for exit via boat to Crete, where he rejoined his unit.
“If I hadn’t been bought up in the bush, I’d never had got away,” Mr McWilliam said.
He continued to serve despite issues with his feet, training others in Australia involved in war efforts.
He later joined the RAAF as a trainee navigator after meeting his wife Barbara in 1942, who was involved in the Women’s Australian Auxiliary Air Force.
The two were married on Australia Day 1944, before Mr McWilliam was sent to Canada for further training.
He was discharged in January, 1945 – about eight months before WWII ended – because of medical issues.
Mr McWilliam attributed luck and his family’s love to his longevity.
Barbara died in 1973, aged 53. She was never replaced and always cherished, Mr McWilliam said.
The two had five children. Barbara was responsible for raising the kids and running the household as Mr McWilliam focused on work, which included running the family’s nursery business.
Her help was invaluable and she was always missed, Mr McWilliam said.
Mr McWilliam has 14 grandchildren and just as many great-grandchildren.
He is known for his great character, sharp mind and stories about life.
He received plenty of letters marking his 100th birthday from dignitaries and will also mark his centenary with a party surrounded by family, some from interstate, soon.