.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Wodonga's Frank Parnaby has unlocked the secret to living for a century.
He believes his wife Judy is to thank for helping him reach his 100th birthday on Monday.
"I wouldn't have done it without her," he said.
Mr Parnaby was born in the front room of a house on Beechworth Road and still lives within a stone's throw away from where his story all began.
Although he's now reached the magic milestone many only ever dream of, age is still just a number for the Parnabys.
It wasn't until the couple were married that they discovered the almost 22 year gap between them.
"I was 23 and he was 45," Mrs Parnaby said.
"We didn't know until we signed on our wedding day."
The pair met by chance when Mrs Parnaby took her car to get some fuel.
It wasn't too long after this that they decided to start a life together.
"We had several trips back and forward and we wrote lots of letters," Mrs Parnaby said.
"Then a phone call came saying, 'do you want to marry me?'.
"I still have all the letters."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Mr Parnaby has four children - Janet, Christopher, Peter and Gary - as well as a step son, Jamie.
They also have seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren, with another one on the way.
Mr Parnaby planned to spend his special birthday celebrating with family.
"It's just a normal day I suppose," he said.
While he admitted the tattoos on his arms look a little bit different now to when he first got them, they still carry memories.
"I was in the air force and came home and one was infected," he said.
"My mother and father nearly fainted when they saw it, they didn't like it.
"You don't get them like that anymore.
"They're better now with different colours, there was no colours years ago."
The devoted Collingwood supporter loves watching the football on television, but admitted he was never that keen on playing.
"I had two games in the juniors and I gave it away," he said.
While he's crammed a lot into the last century, he's never seen anything like the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This is by far the worst," he said.
"You'll never get anything like it again I don't think."
Mrs Parnaby said her husband was still mowing his own lawns at 99, and although a broken hip has slowed him down this year, Mr Parnaby admitted he still feels as good as ever.
"The way I feel I'll make another 100 think," he said.
"I'll be turning the clock back and starting again."
