{"id":331076,"date":"2023-04-19T16:30:05","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T06:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=331076"},"modified":"2023-04-19T21:06:16","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T11:06:16","slug":"murgon-legend-celebrates-100-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2023\/04\/19\/murgon-legend-celebrates-100-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Murgon Legend Celebrates 100 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mick Purser and his wife Heather with son Russell at the Castra celebration on Wednesday morning<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 19, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 100th birthday of retired Murgon businessman – and World War II veteran – Alfred “Mick” Purser was celebrated at a morning tea at Southern Cross Care (Castra) in Murgon on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n

Friends, other residents and Castra staff joined with Mick’s wife Heather, 96, and son Russell, from Noosa, to celebrate the big day in Castra’s recreation room.<\/p>\n

There was cake, candles and even a morning of music!<\/p>\n

It was the second birthday celebration for Mick … on Saturday, he enjoyed a family get-together with about 70 people at the Murgon RSL Sub-Branch’s Drop-In Centre, organised by his daughter Lynne, from Brisbane.<\/p>\n

But Castra, where Mick and Heather now reside, couldn’t let Mick’s actual birthday pass without a party.<\/p>\n

Mick grew up on the family’s dairy farm, ‘Bendee’, between Murgon and Nanango (now part of the Bjelke-Petersen Dam).<\/strong><\/p>\n

He enlisted in the RAAF on August 25, 1941.<\/p>\n

Russell told southburnett.com.au<\/strong> his father initially served in the Charters Towers and Townsville areas recovering and repairing parts from downed US aircraft.<\/p>\n

He then was sent to Adelaide where he trained as a pilot, and began flying DC-3s from Australia to Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\n

After he was discharged in 1946, Mick returned to Murgon to complete his apprenticeship as a mechanic with Vic Tessmann.<\/p>\n

Mick later bought the business, located where Murgon IGA is now, and called it Murgon Garage.<\/p>\n

In 1967, he purchased a school bus run and began building up a bus and coach business. He sold the Murgon Garage to concentrate on his new venture.<\/p>\n

In 1996, Mick sold Purser’s Coaches to Harvy Dascombe who has continued, along with son Andrew, to build the business into a fleet which now consists of 50 vehicles.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harvy picked up Mick on Saturday in one of Purser’s buses to take him to his birthday celebration …\u00a0“He wouldn’t let me drive!” Mick said.<\/p>\n

Guest speakers at the Castra celebration included Murgon Business and Development Association president Leo Geraghty (a later owner of the Murgon Garage, by then Mitsubishi Murgon) and Trevor Otto, father of South Burnett mayor Brett Otto, who formerly worked for Mick.<\/p>\n

Mick and Heather have been married for an amazing 76 years.<\/p>\n

“Heather was Presbyterian and I was Church of England so we were married in the Methodist Church in Murgon,” Mick joked.<\/p>\n

The couple has two children, Russell and Lynne; four grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Mick and Heather have volunteered in multiple community groups in the Murgon region for decades, including the Girl Guides, Scouts and Murgon Hospital.<\/p>\n

Mick also served on Murgon Shire Council for many years.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Mick Purser thanks guests for coming to his celebration:<\/b><\/p>\n