by Nick Rowe
Alex White celebrated his 100th birthday with friends and family from across Australia on Sunday at the Drouin Baptist Church where he was presented with official letters from King Charles and Queen Camilla, the prime minister, premier, governor general and local Members of Parliament Russell Broadbent and Wayne Farnham.
Alex was born in Launceston on October 8, 1924 - the eldest of two sons to George and Agnes who had immigrated to Tasmania from Scotland a few years earlier. George worked as caretaker at a masonic hall as well as for the local council where he was in charge of looking after a number of parks. Alex’s first memories are of “rounding up sheep” in one of the parks that his father looked after. 
Alex had a younger brother, Robert who contracted polio as a child. A life of health problems from the disease followed Robert and he died in his late 50s.

Alex spent most of his primary school years at East Launceston Primary