George, 103 years old, and wife Joy, who turns 99 in June, have lived through war, the Great Depression and outbreaks of polio and diphtheria.

Joy said not being able to go past your front gates in Ballarat was a strange feeling for her, still active and living in the couple's home.

The couple will this week celebrate their 75^th wedding anniversary but it was uncertain they would get to see each other. George is isolated in Nazareth House and coronavirus restrictions are particularly strict about protecting residents in aged care.

It has been a particularly pensive time for George, who on April 1 marked 75 years since he was "finished with war and able to come home and marry" his sweetheart.

Social isolation right now, they each said, was something we all just had to do.

Joy said growing up in Gippsland she had not felt the same effects of community isolation fo disease outbreaks, despite vaguely recalling a boy at her school with polio.

"I was in the country and wouldn't have even known what it was like in the city," Joy said. "We grew our own vegetables and killed our own animals, like rabbits and poultry.

"It is interesting with so many people buying seeds and gardening now. They've realised it was a good time for growing their own vegetables."

Unable to go out in isolation in Ballarat, Joy is filling her time knitting for missionaries. Joy said in times like this, you still had to trust the Lord.

"He will provide what you need but what you want has to change," Joy said.

George, also a devout Christian, was conscripted to Australia's World War II efforts but asked for a non-combatant role. He started in the kitchens and became a field ambulance corporal in Papua New Guinea.

A keen writer, the army offered George a chance to take a correspondence course via University of Melbourne. While keen to further his studies in health, George did not have the money or secondary school qualifications to do so.

George became one of the first in Ballarat to go to a civilian ambulance school. He was an ambulance officer in Ballarat for 22 years.

Health has always been important to George who remains fit and sharp, excepting a sore toe and loss of hearing in one hearing in one ear. He encouraged people to keep healthy as best they could.

George also remains determined to keep his diary going in isolation. He has kept a handwritten, daily diary the past 83 years.

As an ambulance officer, George liked speaking to people and hearing them share their problems. This is still important to him to reflect on.

"I like thinking about human character and influences, that's interests me," George said.

READ MORE about George's war reflections by clicking on the photo below

What George was particularly concerned about was appropriate commemorations on Anzac Day amid COVID-19, especially for Vietnam veterans that he said deserve more recognition.

George said it was important to find ways to keep legacies alive. He only started to talk about his WWII experience when the son of his former sergeant sought him out to learn more about his father.

A Sebastopol RSL member, George has not marched on Anzac Day in a while - "I never thought anyone would be my age" - but said stories about telling times were important.

RELATED COVERAGE

If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thankyou very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.