Walter Power George Harrison is a descendent of Harry Power, who had the rare feat for a bushranger to live into his 70s.
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But Walter, known as Georgie, has outlived his famous relative, and he turned 100 on Sunday April 19.
Now a resident of a nursing home at Hughenden Hospittal, he was formerly cared for by his long-term friend Olive O'Connor.
Olive said Georgie was a drover back in the day and now almost completely blind but with no visitors allowed for his birthday, she arranged a special surprise for the big day.
"He's in lockdown and no one is allowed in so I rang a bloke to take a horse there so Georgie could pat it," Olive said. "The bloke arrived with his wife and daughter with the horse in a trailer and we led it to the gazebo where he was able to touch it and have a yarn. George has very little vision but he can made out shadows in the hallway."
Olive said George was a drover since he was nine years old and is a life member of the Stockman's Hall of Fame in Longreach.
The 100th birthday was special despite the lockdown. "He got a card from the Queens and the Governor-General and the prime minister and the premier of Queensland and Bob and Robbie Katter," she said.
"The cook made him a lovely birthday cake."
Olive said Georgie was still in good health and had an excellent memory though not as nimble as he used to be and his voice is fading.
"I've known since I was 16 and I am 85 now," she said.
"I came to Hughenden to go to school and met his wife,we used to go to the river to have picnics when teenagers."
Olive said she didn't have much to do with Georgie until she was 23 and they bought the house across the road, and they were neighbours for six years.
"I moved away and later so did he," she said. "I hadn't seen him for 20 years."
Then when Olive was working at Tully Hospital, he came in to visit a friend at the hospital.
"I recognised him as soon as I saw him," she said.
"Then my husband died and I ended up in Charters Towers and I didn't know Georgie was looking after a property there for 19 years. I ran into mutual friend and she told him I was there.
Though they briefly touched base before Olive returned to nursing in Tully while Georgie moved to Beaudesert to move in with his adopted daughter.
"He didn't like it down there in a two-bedroom unit and got lonely," she said.
"He asked me could he come to Tully and I said if he wants to come he can."
George arrived at the railway station with two ports of RM Williams clothes and branding irons.
"'What are you doing with branding irons, I hope you are not bringing a bull to my backyard', I said," she said.
"'That's what I want to talk to you about,' he said. 'I'm blind and nowhere to live'."
Olive said she couldn't turn him away and became his carer.
They moved back to Charters Towers and then to Hughenden six years ago.
However Georgie got to a point where Olive could no longer look after him.
"He was getting up in the middle of the night but couldn't see his way to the toilet and the bathroom itself was a problem," she said.
"Eventually I put him in hospital, he was dreadfully unhappy but got used to it and the girls treat him beautifully.
"He's a lovely old bloke - his only complaint is that people should be jailed for buggering up good tucker but he's fed like a king in hospital."
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
