FAMILY, friends, well-wishers and dignities gathered at the Cooinda Centre in Wendouree on Saturday to celebrate Reg Henman\u2019s 100 years of living life to its fullest.<\/p>\n
With the farming theme for the event reflecting his significant life on the land, a spry and active Mr Henman greeted guests and moved around the room.<\/p>\n
With all the people there to wish him well, Mr Henman said the turn out made him feel, \u201cMore than wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve lived a good honest life and of my mother\u2019s and father\u2019s families I\u2019m the first one to hit 100,\u201d he said. \u201cMy great-grandmother on my mother\u2019s side was 99 years and 11 months, I\u2019ve just beat her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a really wonderful life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Henman was born in Yaapeet before his parents settled in the Kaniva district farming wheat, sheep and cattle at Sandsmere. In 1986 he moved to Ballarat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe sold the farm and I retired here to be closer to the families, and I\u2019ve never been sorry since,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s a Bowls Victoria Super-Veteran and was an active member of Webbcona Bowls Club for 26 years. While he\u2019s off the greens now, he still plays carpet bowls.<\/p>\n
World War Two saw Mr Henman give four-and-a-half years\u2019 service to the nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cFortunately, I didn\u2019t see action but I was out in the Indian Ocean for about four or five days and that wasn\u2019t very nice, but we got out of it all right,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While in the Army he got a chance to indulge another of his passions, football.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we\u2019re in Sydney they wanted to form a football team,\u201d he said. \u201cThere was 76 men lined up and I managed to get in the first 18 and kept my place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Henman was a talented rover and came close to winning the Boarder Town league best and fairest medal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was runner up for the association medal,\u201d he said. \u201cThe umpire came to me after a game and said, \u2018What\u2019s the idea of giving me cheek, Henman?\u2019. I didn\u2019t give him cheek, I complimented him on his action.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018I\u2019ve given you two points and the other chap three.\u2019 Well, in the count we were both tied, and he beat me by one point.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour-and-a-half years later I married his sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Henman has four children, nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, many of whom were on hand to celebrate his milestone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FAMILY, friends, well-wishers and dignities gathered at the Cooinda Centre in Wendouree on Saturday to celebrate Reg Henman\u2019s 100 years of living life to its fullest. With the farming theme for the event reflecting his significant life on the land, a spry and active Mr Henman greeted guests and moved around the room. With all […]<\/p>\n