By PEACE IJIYERA
IT’S not every day you meet a 100-year-old.
Traralgon local John Allcorn celebrated his 100th birthday last Friday (February 13).
An amazing achievement for the centenarian, Mr Allcorn has lived in Traralgon since 1973.
During his life, he has diligently served the CFA, cemetery trust, Walhalla Railway, Traralgon Men’s Probus Club and the Uniting Church.
Born in Bendigo on February 13, 1926, Mr Allcorn and his family moved to the Warragul area when he was young.
“When I was four, my parents bought a farm at Brandy Creek which was north of Warragul, on the Old Sale road,” he said.
Though enjoying the farm life, it was cut short as Mr Allcorn contracted Brucellosis – an animal related disease usually found in cows, sheep, goats and pigs.
Leaving the farm, Mr Allcorn “Had to find another way of making a living”, which he did through shopkeeping at a hardware store called Castles in Warragul.
Moving to Traralgon for another job opportunity in 1973 at age 46, Mr Allcorn has lived in the same house on Shakespeare Street ever since.
“I’m not a wanderer by nature,” he joked.
In his personal life, Mr Allcorn is a family man who loved his girls; his wife Nancy (dec) and daughters, Marilyn (dec) and Glenda.
Mr and Ms Allcorn met when they were quite young and were what you would consider childhood sweethearts. They both attended Buln Buln Primary School and met at Sunday school. The pair got married in 1950 and enjoyed a fruitful 70 years together before Ms Allcorn passed in 2020 aged 95. Mr Allcorn has five grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, who he adores.
Though exciting, turning 100 carries a bittersweet taste for Mr Allcorn, as a lot of the people he holds dear are not around anymore.
“It’s sad in another way because a lot of the people whom I’ve grown up through the years have gone,” he said.
“Most people don’t seem to get past the 85 to 95 area.”
Mr Allcorn didn’t think he’d live to 100.
“It’s not normal,” he acknowledged.
Though, he should have been expecting it as he comes from a lineage of people who have lived long lives.
His mother lived until 99, and he had aunties who got into their hundreds.
His son in law, Peter McPherson said, “There’s some good genes there somewhere”.
Mr Allcorn’s service to the community saw him join the Warragul CFA in 1954 and later the Traralgon brigade, where he saw the good, the bad and the ugly.
Mr Allcorn reflected on witnessing heart-breaking and confronting scenes.
“It does something to you,” he said. He was also on the board of the committee who worked towards establishing the crematorium in Traralgon.
“Before that, the only crematorium was in Springvale, it was a pretty nasty trip for people having to take bodies out there,” he said. The crematorium was established in 1985 and celebrated 40 years last year.
In his retirement, Mr Allcorn spent time volunteering at Walhalla working on the railways.
Comparing today’s world to what it was previously, Mr Allcorn said “It was a very different world”.
Touching on the technological advances and changes to interpersonal relationships, Mr Allcorn misses a world where human connection was necessary.
“I built up friendships that lasted for years because I was dealing with individual people and [in his time working] individual firms,” he said.
Who better to receive life advice from than someone who has lived 100 years?
Mr Allcorn’s advice is to “Live life to the best you can”, but also, take life “one day at a time”.
“I’ve had to learn to live one day at a time, which isn’t very easy,” he admits.
Still agile as ever, his daughter, Glenda McPherson, describes her father as “fiercely independent”.
At 100-years-old, Mr Allcorn still insists on living by himself.
“I’m afraid I’m a bit stubborn. I like being independent, I’m going to stay as independent as I can be for as long as I can be,” he said.
Missing human interaction sometimes, Mr Allcorn likes to meet with a group of friends.
“I was finding it a bit lonely living alone, and I was put in touch with a group of people who are also living alone and we meet every Friday … have a chat, have a meal and play a game of some sort,” he said.
He also likes to attend Bible study with his resident friends at Dalkeith Heights, and he says the church and Christianity remains “the central pillar” of his life.
In his spare time, Mr Allcorn enjoys reading and studying to expand his knowledge, which goes to show that you’re never too old to learn.
At the moment, he is finding the study of “the part that religion plays in different races” fascinating.
Mr Allcorn received royal recognition from King Charles and Governor General Samantha Mostyn AC. Both letters congratulated the centenarian.
Mr Allcorn partied hard at his birthday celebration at the Uniting Church on Friday. Surrounded by family and friends, it was a time to celebrate such a rare and significant milestone.
