WWII veteran Leonard Hitchens has ‘been around, seen a bit’ in 100 years

“Once I get to 100, I can relax — I’ve made it,” he said.

“I might even have a little drink.”

On March 21, 1925, Mr Hitchens was the first and only child born to William Hitchens and Frances Preston and was raised primarily by his grandmother in his grandparents’ home in Tocumwal.

Growing up, he played cricket and football, but his heart resonated most with the rhythmic clip-clop of hooves.

“My grandfather was a drover and had horses, so I always rode horses,” he said.

And he truly means always.

Mr Hitchens and some other local young lads would volunteer to break in Shetland ponies for a farm at Aratula, riding to school just as kids today would ride a bike.

“Well, that saved me walking,” he said with a chuckle.

A top-of-the-class student at Tocumwal Primary School, Mr Hitchens excelled in his studies but left school on his 14th birthday, taking on various jobs, from delivering groceries by horse and cart to working at multiple factories in Shepparton and Melbourne.

His restless energy led him to enlist in the Australian Army in September 1942 at 17 and a half years old.

Following training in Melbourne, Mr Hitchens was assigned to a Small Ships company, where he transported goods to troops stationed on remote islands, including Thursday Island.

After he served in battles that spanned the Cape York Peninsula to Torokina in Papua New Guinea, the war ended — his service did not.

In Rabaul, New Britain, PNG, Mr Hitchens helped disarm Japanese forces before escorting Italian prisoners of war back to their homeland, which earned him well-deserved R&R in London.

During this time, he stayed with the Wheelers, a family who offered their home to billet soldiers.

Mr Hitchens said Mrs Wheeler would often play records and ask him to dance with her, to which he obliged.

“I used to always dance, I loved my dancing,” he said.

“The daughter wanted me to marry her too, but I wasn’t ready.”

Marriage came in 1949 to a Tatura girl, Kath Alexander.

As the saying goes, love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage, and the couple welcomed three daughters: Lynette, Marlene (deceased) and Pauline.

Mr Hitchens defied societal norms by gaining custody of his daughters when the marriage ended in 1965, becoming one of the first men in Victoria to obtain custody of female children.

In 1968, Mr Hitchens married Ursula Flanagan, his neighbour and confidante, blending their families and, in turn, creating a future blessed with four grandchildren (two deceased), eight great-grandchildren (“the eight greats”), and five great-great-grandchildren.

At 60, Mr Hitchens retired with an illustrious CV that includes 20 years as a maintenance fitter and union representative for engineers at SPC in Shepparton, owning a milk bar in Clarinda, Melbourne, and working at Melbourne and Monash universities.

Off the clock, he made sure he continued having the time of his life.

Most notably, Mr Hitchens was invited to the AFL’s Anzac Day match in 2024 between Essendon and Collingwood, where the World War II veteran was driven around the field.

“I was the oldest digger there on the day, so I was in car one, and then Abbey Holmes took me into the middle of the ground for an interview,” he said.

Mr Hitchens continued to age, but not everyone in his life was so lucky.

His mother died in 1962, his daughter Marlene died in 1965 due to health complications, and his stepdaughter Kaylene died by suicide more than 20 years ago.

Mr Hitchens has since outlived many of his old Army buddies, reducing the guest list for his approaching 100th birthday.

This weekend, his immediate and extended family will come together at the Peppermill Inn in Kialla to celebrate his new status as a centenarian.

“I was determined to make 100,” he said.

With that in mind, Mr Hitchens passed on his wisdom on how to live a long life: “I suppose it might be having a drink.”