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Revision as of 02:49, 10 February 2009 by 146.196.4.62 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Riley 'James' Lockett OAM (22 January 1891 – 25 May 2002), was an Australian veteran of the First World War and the oldest man in Australia at the time of his death at the age of 111. He died just three days after fellow supercentenarian, Australia's oldest woman and oldest person ever, Christina Cock, who was 114 at the time of her death.
Overview
Riley Lockett was born in the small Victorian town of Waanyarra, near Bendigo. He left school at the age of twelve to work on a local farm. Later, Riley Lockett worked for his uncles in The Mallee. In 1916, Lockett travelled to Mildura to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force. He served in France, earning promotion to sergeant, and was discharged on 20 September 1919.
After the war, Riley Lockett returned to The Mallee and selected a 1 square mile (2.6 km²) block of land in Linga, Victoria, deciding to make his living as a farmer. In 1923, he married Maybell Ingwerson, and they had four children together. In 1963, the couple retired to Bendigo, leaving the farmland, which now covered more than 130,000 acres (526 km²), in the care of their children and grandchildren.
In 1998, Riley Lockett and his fellow known surviving veterans were made a Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur by the French government for their service in the war. In 2000, at the age of 109, he participated in the 2000 Olympic Torch Relay. On 11 June 2001, he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community of Bendigo, particularly as a representative of Australia war veterans. Riley Lockett died of kidney failure at age 111, and is the oldest man ever to have lived in the Southern Hemisphere.
Honours and awards
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- Medal of the Order of Australia (awarded 11 June 2001)
- British War Medal
- Victory Medal
- 80th Anniversary Armistice Remembrance Medal (awarded 21 April 1999)
- Centenary Medal (awarded 1 January 2002)
- Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur (awarded 4 July 1998)
See also
- List of the verified oldest men
- Oldest people
- Supercentenarian
- Veterans of the First World War who died in 2002
External links
- Personal Stories: John "Jack" Lockett - Victorians At War project page (includes photographs)
- "AUSTRALIA FAREWELLS OUR OLDEST DIGGER", Department of Veterans Affairs press release.
- "Farewell to a gentle veteran", Meaghan Shaw, The Age, 2002-05-27. Accessed 2005-10-25.
- "Vale Jack Lockett: a zest for life for 111 years", Farah Farouque, The Age, 2002-05-31. Accessed 2005-10-25.
- Another Kind of Survival – The Story Of Jack Lockett – Radio National catalogue summary. Accessed 2005-10-25.
- Jack Lockett – Transcript of interview by Ina Bertrand – an interview in Bendigo on 2000-12-13. Accessed 2005-10-25.
- National Archives of Australia Service Record of Sgt J.H. Lockett, Regt Number 1194