Historical information

John Henry Lockett OAM (22 January 1891 – 25 May 2002) was the oldest man ever in Australia when he died aged 111 years, 123 days. As one of the last surviving veterans of World War I, he was acclaimed as a national hero during the last decade of his life. Lockett was born in the small Victorian town of Waanyarra, near Bendigo. He left school aged nine to work on a local farm. Later, he worked for his uncles in the Mallee. On 24 March 1916, he travelled to Mildura to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force. He served in France with the 38th Battalion, earning promotion to sergeant and was discharged on 20 September 1919. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Lockett
After the war, Jack returned to The Mallee and selected a 640 acres (260 ha) block of land in Linga, Victoria, deciding to make his living as a farmer. In 1923, he married Maybell Ingwerson and they had four children together. In 1963, the couple retired to Bendigo in 1953, leaving the farmland (which now covered more than 130,000 acres (53,000 ha), in the care of their children and grandchildren.

Physical description

"Australian Legends People whose story we should know" written by Richard Simpkin. Foreword by Ray Martin. A unique collection of interviews collected by the author from around Australia. Published in Australia by New Holland Publishers in 2005. Dark blue hard cover book with a dark blue dust jacket with three photographs on the front and four photographs on the back. Titles printed in white and bright blue. Book includes full page black and white or coloured photographs of featured people. Each featured person has a one-page story facing their photograph. Includes an article on Jack Lockett on Page 104. 176 pp.