On September 2, 1945, the day after his 19th birthday, Perth’s Jack Le Cras OAM stood aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay and witnessed the end of the Second World War as Japan formally surrendered.
Eighty-one years later, the WWII veteran celebrated his 100th birthday on Tuesday in a slightly different setting – Bunnings in Joondalup, which he affectionately calls his “church”.
As one of only a handful of Australians to have witnessed the formal surrender, it could easily have been the defining moment of a lifetime.
Reflecting on that day, Mr Le Cras said it was still the sheer scale of the warship that captured his attention at the time.
“I wasn’t thinking of the ceremony. I was more impressed with the ship with 2600 men on it,” Mr Le Cras told The West Australian.
“The Missouri was 300 yards long, 42 guns on the upper deck. I guarantee that every sailor was on the upper deck. It was amazing.”
Mr Le Cras was one of three sailors from HMAS Bataan chosen to ferry Australia’s senior military representatives to the USS Missouri for the ceremony.
Remarkably, for the centenarian, who is one of the last surviving people in the world who was present for the surrender, it was just one chapter in an extraordinary life of service.
For decades, Mr Le Cras has been the driving force behind organising commemorative services and supporting veterans and community causes across Perth’s northern suburbs.
His community service has included almost 50 years with Lions Club International and stints as president of both the Wanneroo RSL Sub-Branch and the Naval Association of WA.
At 100, he is still volunteering, keeping busy, and even driving, which he puts down to staying involved with the community, following his doctor’s advice, and keeping his mind engaged.
“Keep the brain active, the body will follow. You don’t want the body to tell the brain what it’s going to do,” was Mr Le Cras’ advice for living a long, healthy life.
At age 14, he left school and took his first job as a telegram messenger. By 17, he joined the Royal Australian Navy, serving beyond the end of the war, helping with the recovery of POWs in Japan.
Speaking at the 100th celebration morning tea at Bunnings on Tuesday, where family, friends and dignitaries gathered to mark the special occasion, his daughter Sue Whiting said her father was a man who simply refused to slow down.
“He has just led us by inspiration,” Ms Whiting said.
“He is just a doer. His middle name is volunteer, and that’s all he’s done for his 41 years that he’s been retired between Lions, the RSL and commemorative services.”
In a speech to Mr Le Cras, representing the Royal Australian Navy, Lieutenant Commander Jack Parnell commended the WWII veteran for his remarkable dedication to helping others.
“For more than 80 years, you have represented the very best qualities of a Navy sailor,” Mr Parnell said.
“Through your service, your humility, your commitment to remembrance, and your unwavering respect of others, you have carried the Navy’s name with distinction, honour and reward, and you carry it still today.
“Jack, thank you for your service, thank you for your example, and thank you for a century of a life well lived.”
Whitford’s Lions Club president Derek Best said the 100-year-old, who is still “sharp as a tack,” is a remarkable man.
“Everywhere he goes, he rolls his sleeves up and gets his hands dirty. It takes a fine man to do that sort of thing,” Mr Best said.
“Today’s not about looking back. It’s about celebrating a great man who’s done some amazing things.”
Just in March this year, Mr Le Cras was instrumental in raising $50,000 for a mental health support service through a record-breaking 102-hour sausage sizzle at Bunnings Joondalup for the Lions Beacon of Light charity.
For a man who has seen and done it all, including working 35 years at the ABC, Mr Le Cras has witnessed his fair share of change, but his advice for younger generations remains simple.
“Respect one another. That’s the main thing,” he said.
“What the other person does, you might not appreciate it, but you’ve got to respect the person and how they feel, how they go about their life.
“You may not agree with the principles of their life, but I respect them for what they are.”
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