Soldier, hotel publican, university lecturer, and grandfather. William “Henry” Martell has worn many caps in his life.
The 100-year-old recently moved into the Carinity Brookfield Green residential aged care community in Brisbane.
He was born in Haberfield, Sydney in December 1924 to parents Carl Ramsay Martell and Mary Rosalind Glasson.
In his youth Henry enjoyed hiking across the Hawkesbury, going to Manly beach and riding bicycles.
“I wasn’t marvellous at singing. At a big end-of-term concert at school I remember the head teacher going, ‘Henry, whatever you do, don’t sing’,” he recalls.
“I was educated at two schools: one at Haberfield called Neuchatel Grammar, which was run by two very severe elderly ladies, and then I went to Sydney Grammar for six years.”
After graduating from high school, Henry joined the Australian Army at 19 and served in the Pacific during World War II. He recalls having to deliver ammunition to troops attempting to invade Japanese-occupied Bougainville.
“Late at night I took an army ship and went up the coast; the Japanese were all along the coast. I arrived in the morning – it was pretty dark still – to discover there was no beach and I had to wade to shore carrying ammunition.
“Later I was on an island with a few others and a plane arrived with New Zealanders on, and they said, ‘The war’s over!’ “We all cheered and off they flew again, and nobody came near us for about two months.
“Six of us were left with some rations but everyone else had gone. They did an article on us in the paper. Finally, we were picked up and taken to Torokina, and I took the unit back to Australia.”
Henry and Diana Martell shortly after they were married in England.
Following World War II, Henry married Diana Coote, the daughter of a military colleague, in 1954. They wed in Cornwall in England, where Henry had gone to attend university.
While in England they operated a 17th century pub in Devon called The Ram’s Head Inn, with Henry noting it was “two of the happiest years of my life”.
“I loved the locals. They made me the captain of the local football club, through I’d never played soccer in my life! I can’t say enough about the English and how well they treated me. They remained all my life great friends.”
Henry then ran a cocoa plantation in Papua New Guinea for two years, before commencing a career as a teacher and university lecturer. He specialised in Asian history and was on the inaugural staff of La Trobe University.
Henry and Diana live together at Carinity Brookfield Green. They have come full circle, having lived less than 200m from the seniors’ community for almost 30 years.
The couple – whose birthdays are one day apart – have four children, seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
Henry said: “I have lived a great life, and I’ve met some marvellous people in my time.”
