Port Fairy’s Joe Sturdy has a daily ritual that has served him well.

When asked about his diet, Mr Sturdy revealed he had a meat pie for tea every night.

“Each day I go for a walk down the street and I go to the bakery and get my pie,” he said.

“They know what I want as soon as I walk in the door and they have it ready to go.”

He was born on April 16, 1915 as Henry Arthur Sturdy in Hawthorn, the only boy to Emily and John and a brother to Ede, May, Jean and Ruth.

He quickly became known as Joe to avoid confusion with his uncles Henry and Arthur.

Mr Sturdy attended school in Camberwell and Kew which prepared him for his first job at Hartley’s Sports Store in Melbourne.

He went on to become a sales representative for Berger Paints. He also worked at Sigma Pharmaceuticals and later as a medical orderly at Peter McCallum hospital.

He took some real-life experience into his role at the hospital thanks to his service to his country in World War II.

He was part of the 4th Field Ambulance unit and later the hospital unit and served in places such as Egypt, North Africa, Syria, Borneo and Tobruk.

“I wanted to do my bit to help out, and serving as a medic I thought was a good way to do that.”

While living through a world war would be enough adventure for anyone’s lifetime, Mr Sturdy has seen many more changes that have changed the course of history.

One that sticks in his mind is the arrival of radio as an accessible form of information and entertainment.

“I remember the very first radio we had, the cord ran from a stick in the yard and up along the chimney.

“It did open the world up a bit, as did television later on. It was exciting times.

“The only thing with television is I think it has made for more crime in the world. I think people do copy what they see.”

Mr Sturdy’s daily walk down the main street of Port Fairy shows he is a man who enjoys good health and living an active lifestyle. He has been a keen bushwalker, a good swimmer, a scout leader and a golfer who had memberships at the Port Fairy, Heidelberg and Greenacres courses.

He also has a good gene pool when it comes to longevity. His mother lived until she was 93, while his sisters also enjoyed a long lifespan with Jean (97), May (90), Ede (92) and Ruth (82). While he has his diet sorted with the humble pie a mainstay, Mr Sturdy has also kept the vices of smoking and drinking under control.

“I would like to say that I have never smoked but I did smoke for a short time before giving up.

“And I have always enjoyed a glass of beer and I suppose sometimes I might have been drunk,” he said with a cheeky grin. “It depends on the company. You don’t do these things independently.” 

Mr Sturdy moved to Port Fairy in 2002 to be close to his sister Jean Kershaw who had moved to the town in 1967.

Mrs Kershaw’s son and daughter-in-law Graeme and  Judith Kershaw are well-known Port Fairy residents and remain in close contact with Mr Sturdy.

He celebrated his 100th birthday on Thursday with an open house at his nephew’s home. On Wednesday, he received a special visit from Moyne Shire Council mayor Colin Ryan who arrived in his mayoral robes to mark the occasion.