It was an historic occasion as Bert Adams one of the last marching World War II veterans celebrated a century.
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Bert Adams has lived more lifetimes than most, and lived through the horrors of WWII, which he witnessed firsthand as a navigator on a Lancaster Bomber in the 1940s.
But his story begins many years prior to that, when he was born on February 23, 1924 to stock and station agent Bruce Adams and wife Amy at Gulgong.
After attending a one-teacher primary school in Birriwa, he attended high school in Mudgee.
"I then worked in the public service for a little while in Sydney," Mr Adams said.
"And as soon as I was old enough, I joined the Air Force [in 1942]."
"The war with Japan was on at the time and nobody particularly wanted to get into the Army and go up in the islands amongst the malaria... so the waiting list to be called up for air crew was so long you had to wait for eight months."
Ironically, in the meantime he was called up to the Army - where he did infantry and motor transport training - before he was finally called up to the Air Force.
"I trained as a navigator here in Australia, then I went to England via America, where I joined an Australian squadron near Lincoln [about the start of 1944]," Mr Adams said.
While stationed there, Mr Adams did a tour on Lancaster Bombers, completing 29 missions during which time he dropped bombs on Germany, France, Netherlands, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Norway among others.
"[We technically did] 30 missions, because we completed two bullseyes, where training plans would go out towards Denmark, attract fire then return home... they only counted as half [a mission each]," he said.
During this time, he recalled some harrowing experiences, saying there were two missions where he really feared for his life.
"We were on a night operation to Dortmund-Ems Canal, which the RAF bombed 10 times during the war," Mr Adams said.
"We were at about 14,000 feet and told to come in and bomb the green markers."
But with cloud below them, they descended and orbited the target in darkness, surrounded close to 200 other Lancaster bombers.
"We were halfway down and looking out for collisions and our bomber yelled out, 'Down, port!'
"The pilot did that, and the mid-upper gunner said... 'That was close.'"
Mr Adams reckons the two planes "must have missed by inches."
When the war ended, he was in London's Picadilly Circus on VE Day and recalled the crowd was so large you had to go along with wherever they were headed.
"You couldn't imagine people [being packed in] any thicker, we were shoulder to shoulder," he said.
After the war, Mr Adams was awarded a British DFC Medal and a French Legion of Honour, for his role in helping to liberate Paris.
Heading back to Australia after the war, Mr Adams had an experience that would stay with him the rest of his life - he learned how to play the card game Bridge.
Once back on home soil, he studied science at Sydney University for a year, before going share farming at Mendooran near Coonabarabran with his younger brother.
"We had three good years and made a bit of money," he said.
After that, Mr Adams bought a sports store in Mudgee where he would string tennis racquets and fix cricket bats.
It was also during this time, in 1952, that he met the love of his life, Valerie Gawthorne.
"She was one of eight and they ran a bakery in Mudgee," Mr Adams said.
"One of her sisters was in a drama club and they invited me to go and do a play.
"We got together afterwards and found we were both hockey enthusiasts, so we stuck together and it wasn't long before we got married."
The couple were wed at St John's Anglican Church there.
"We had two girls [Nancy and Kim] and a boy Bill]. They all did well and got commonwealth scholarships in high school and trained as teachers," Mr Adams said.
Mr Adams moved careers again and taught mathematics at Mudgee High School for five years before the family moved to Wagga in 1965 where he joined the Air Force for a second time and taught at Forest Hill.
"I taught adult trainees who were going to be ground staff men for two years, before teaching tradesmen to be instructors for another year," he said.
After about three years, Mr Adams joined Mount Austin High School where he continued his career as a maths teacher until retiring in 1984 at the age of 60.
It was about this time that he joined the Wagga Bridge Club, where he has remained a stalwart for the past 40 years.
In retirement, he played hockey for the Waratahs until he was about 70. He also took up golf which he continues to this day.
For many years, the couple enjoyed caravanning, but they have also managed to travel overseas.
"In about 1992, we toured Britain, Europe and the Greek Islands," he said.
"While we were there, we met a pair of Americans who invited us to do a trip there [as well].
"So we went over there in 1994, and they drove us up the coast of America, across Yellowstone Park, Niagara Falls [and into Canada] into Quebec."
The couple also explored Mexico and western Canada during that trip.
They then returned to Wagga, where the couple lived out their remaining years together before they were sadly parted when Valerie passed away two years ago at the age of 95.
"[Val] had a pretty good life," Mr Adams said.
"She was heavily involved in golf and was captain at Mudgee for five years.
"[She also went on to serve as] captain of the Riverina Association for five years."
Mr Adams now has six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
As he marks 100 years on this earth, Mr Adams has a pretty clear idea what the secret to a long life is.
"I think it's genes," he said.
"It wasn't because of [my diet]. I did plenty of smoking and drinking when I was young."
He also believes playing sport has helped.
"[Playing sport,] especially team games like hockey are good not only physically, but also mentally - to have a team spirit," he said.
Looking ahead, Mr Adams has his sights set on the Anzac Day march.
"I was the only [WWII veteran to] march [in Wagga last year]... and I'm hoping to do it again this year," he said.