At 104 years of age, Alf Carpenter is one of Australia’s oldest surviving Anzacs. He’s lived through two world wars, the Great Depression, 9/11 and even fought in the Battle of Crete.
In simple terms, he’s a living legend.
That’s why we’re not surprised his life has been turned into a documentary by charity, This Story Australia, titled ‘Second Generation ANZAC – The Story of Alf Carpenter.’
READ MORE: ‘I was never afraid’: 104-year-old Anzac, Alf Carpenter, recalls fighting in the Battle of Crete
Ahead of the documentary’s premiere on Wednesday, March 30 at The Greek Club in South Brisbane, The Greek Herald spoke with the Executive Producer, Jeff Hughes, about what people can expect to see.
Hughes says he first decided to document Alf’s life after speaking with Australian author, Deborah Wheeler. Alf had provided the foreword for her book ‘Silk Clouds and Olive Trees – Tales from the Battle of Crete,’ and she thought his personal stories needed to be preserved in documentary form.
From there, Hughes and Wheeler applied for a grant and after being successful in their application, they began interviewing Alf on October 27, 2021.
“It was difficult,” Hughes explains about the filming process.
“We got the grant in May last year but borders were closed between Queensland and NSW [where Alf lives in a nursing home] so we couldn’t get the interview then.
“Out of frustration, we ended up just doing it remotely so basically I got a cinematographer in Newcastle, we went through the whole vetting and producing of the whole documentary and organising a space for him to be interviewed.”
Ultimately, Alf was interviewed at the Merewether Hamilton Adamstown RSL via Facetime.
Hughes says that although they didn’t know if they’d be able to successfully do a virtual interview with the 104-year-old, they are ‘really happy with the end product.’
In the documentary, Alf speaks of his early life in Wagga Wagga, friendships, marriage and going to war. Alf describes his journey through Northern Africa to Greece and on to Heraklion to defend Crete.
Alf’s personal diary entries are also interspersed throughout the documentary. They are narrated by Australia’s favourite contemporary poet, Rupert McCall OAM.
READ MORE: 104-yr-old Anzac, Alf Carpenter, made honorary life member of the Cretan Association of NSW.
Hughes says he can’t wait for people to see what has been produced.
“The most important thing as a filmmaker is we want it to be seen, we want it to be enjoyed by the community. We’re really looking forward to the launch,” he concludes.
The documentary will screen at The Greek Club, South Brisbane on Wednesday, March 30. Canapés will be served and there will be a cash bar. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here.
