Polish immigrant and WWII veteran Jozef Pilarski celebrates century birthday

But despite it all, the New Lambton resident has lived to tell the tale and on Wednesday celebrated his 100th birthday.

"I thought I would never make it," he said.

Mr Pilarski was born in Kiszewy, Wielkopolskie, a small village in Poland on April 26, 1923. On that same day Queen Elizabeth, the Queen mother was married to English prince Albert Duke of York at Westminster Abbey.

In the past 100 years Mr Pilarski has been around for many memorable moments in history.

From Wall Street crashing to the rise of Hitler, the Second World War, the Korean War, the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King, landing on the moon, the Pentagon Papers, the introduction of the internet, iPhone's, Obama as the first African-American president, Trump in power, to natural disasters and the COVID pandemic - he has been around for all of it.

But it's been a gruelling road to get to triple digits for Mr Pilarski, who has experienced much heartache and hardship.

His older brother and both parents were killed in retributions of Polish resistance against Germany and he was severely injured while driving a truck during bombing cleanups while being forced to work for Germany in World War II.

"We heard the air raid and I pulled over so everyone in the truck could run into a nearby building," he said.

With no time to get into the building himself, Mr Pilarski dived under his truck and was the only survivor.

"Everyone that ran into that building was killed."

The attack left with him with impaired hearing and a damaged leg that doctors wanted to amputate, but he refused.

During his recovery in hospital, Mr Pilarski met his wife Hanka 'Anna' Yuryta and they married in Germany in 1948. They welcomed their first son Jan 'John' Pilarski in Germany in 1949 and when the war ended he applied to migrate to Australia.

His second chance at life came in 1950 when he arrived with his family by boat to Australia at the Uranquinty Migrant Centre, near the air force base at Wagga Wagga.

"I took cultural classes [to learn English] and my wife stayed at home in the country, she didn't like it because there was nobody there," he said.

On July 3, 1950 they welcomed their second son Kazimierz 'Kas' Pilarski and five years later made the move to Newcastle when Mr Pilarski was offered work at BHP as a labourer, and then later at Stewarts and Lloyds pipe works in Mayfield as a rigger, crane chaser and driver.

"We packed up and came to Newcastle, where there was plenty of work for us," he said.

He retired at 65 and instead of holidaying he built a two-storey home in Belmont North in 1982 and would splash a fresh coat of paint on it every two to three years.

"I said I don't want another job, I just go and retire," he said.

He said his secret to longevity could be declared in two words - "hard work."

"I was always on the crane and working over time."

Sadly his wife died of breast cancer in 1992 and he has been living independently in his own unit at New Lambton since.

His son Kas said when their mother died, her one wish was that they look after their father.

"When mum passed away she said to both me and my brother, 'please look after pop', I think we did. You made it to one hundred."

He said his father was "remarkably fit" for his age and at 96 even dug a trench out for gas heater plumbing.

"He is remarkably fit for his age, he does his own vacuuming, cooks his own food, goes to bed at 5pm and is up at the crack of dawn.

"I told him to wait for me to dig the trench out and he could watch me do it, anyways I rocked up on the weekend and he had done it," he said.

Mr Pilarski said he never thought he'd make it to 100 especially when the COVID pandemic hit and one time he collapsed after enjoying a drop of Polish cherry vodka.

"I've done a lot of things, I don't know how I don't die," he said.

"The doctor said if you want to live, never touch alcohol anymore [because] I'm not strong enough. I was sick, I couldn't walk but I come good. I feel very good, I just get very tired.

"But look I am 100 today and here I am alright [inside], my legs have pain but my memory is good," he said.

"I'll see you in the next 100 years."

His son Kas said his dad had always been a hard worker, a humble man and appreciative that he could come to Australia and find work.

"There was no turmoil here like in Europe, he was glad to come, get work, start a family and have a life," he said.

Mr Pilarski enjoyed his birthday celebrations with friends at Hunter Multicultural Communities Centre on Wednesday, April 26.

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