It was 1942, Jean Jackson’s 18th birthday and a day she will never forget.
During her lunch hour, a young Jean paid a visit to a nearby recruiting office and signed-up there and then on the spot with the Australian Air Force.
“It was 1942, during the war, and things were getting tight,” Jackson recalled.
“People wanted to do what they could to help.
“I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, so I joined the Air Force, I thought the Army might be a bit too rough for me, playing with guns and things.”
So, after enlisting on May 2, 1942, she went on to serve until she was discharged on December 12, 1945.
Now, on the eve of her 100th birthday, Jackson said those years were a highlight.
“The war years were exacting, we were very disciplined,” she said.
At the start of her service with the RAAF, Jackson spent most of her time in the stationery department, climbing up and down ladders before an opportunity arose to show training films to young pilots.
“So, I became a cinematographic operator, and it was very interesting,” she said.
“I learnt a lot, but I’ve forgotten just as much.”
A recent highlight for Jackson was presenting a wreath and heading-up the Anzac Day parade in a vintage Jeep this past Anzac Day at Ipswich RSL.
She was also invited on to Amberley RAAF Base, near Brisbane, for a special private tour as she was based there during the war.
After Jackson was discharged, she went on to study to become a preschool teacher, a profession she worked in for many years.
She married and had two children before retiring to Wagstaffe in 1994.
“There are so many things you look back on, what you did with your life, and I think I was very fortunate,” she said.
Despite macular degeneration robbing her of her eyesight more than a decade ago, Jackson said enjoying life was key to longevity.
“I think we all need to keep fit,” she said.
“I do Pilates, and I do it properly, I don’t muck around.
“You’ve also got to keep doing things with your brain.”
While there are some activities she can’t do anymore due to her blindness, Jackson said she still managed her life well.
“I think it depends on your attitude; you have to keep fit, keep your brain active, keep socialising and care for others.”
Plans to celebrate her 100th birthday on November 28 are well underway, although specific details are still secret.
“There’s a lot of whispering going on and a lot of people are excited,” she said.
“This is a very special community, a very caring and loving community, really, it’s like one big family.”
Denice Barnes