“My brother gave me a driving lesson, and then he said he thought I was ready and we went down to the police station,” George explained.

“The policeman said, ‘drive up to the end of the street, turn around and come back,’ and that’s all we had to do.

“I don’t think you could do that today.”

George, who turns 99 on July 24, first got his licence before serving in New Guinea during World War II.

Last week he had his licence extended to 2020, potentially making him the oldest Manning Valley resident on our roads. 

“I’ve been driving for over 70 years,” George said. He’s held a licence continuously in that time, with his wife of 69 years Lyla signing renewal forms when he was overseas during the war.

Test conditions aren’t the only big change George has seen since he started driving, with pre-WWII traffic having a distinct equine theme. 

“There was mostly horses and sulkies on the road those days, there wasn’t many cars,” George said.

“Only doctors and people who could afford a car had them.”

George said he has owned 16 cars throughout his life, mostly second-hand station wagons, reflecting his career as a carpenter and handyman who needed room to cart his tools around.

His newest licence conditions restrict George to 14km trips, meaning he’ll have to hitch a lift to bingo in Harrington, which he previously drove to every Friday.

George’s drives now mostly consist of travelling from his Cundletown home, which he built himself, into Taree for shopping and visits to the doctor. 

George’s daughter, Cheryl Mellick, was also appreciative of her father’s long-running licence.

“It helps me out,” she laughed.