DROMANA veteran Gerald “Gerry” Shepherd turns 100 on 10 June, and his family is marking the milestone with a celebration at the Peninsula Club, with more than 135 guests expected.
It’s a fitting tribute to a man whose daughter, Paula Mandile, describes as having lived “a life of service”.
“Gerry has always been determined in living life to the fullest, and passionate about his friends, family, community, and his Navy days,” she said.
“He is stubborn and determined, and if he thinks something is worthwhile, he won’t give up.”
Born in 1926 during the Great Depression, Gerry joined the Royal Australian Navy at 17 and was called up in 1945, the final year of World War II. He was among the commissioning crew of the HMAS Bataan, a Tribal-class destroyer, serving as a gunner. The Bataan sailed to the Philippines in search of remaining Japanese vessels, where the crew witnessed the devastation of Manila.
Then came a moment Gerry has never forgotten. While stationed in the Philippines, news arrived of Japan’s surrender. The Bataan sailed to Tokyo Bay to witness the formal signing aboard the USS Missouri.
“The sea was full of ships and the sky was dark with swarms of planes,” said Shepherd.
“I felt like my chest would burst with pride.”
He returned to service in 1951 when the Royal Australian Navy called for experienced sailors to support the Korean War effort. Gerry re-enlisted and served once again as a gunner on the HMAS Bataan – the only sailor on board who had also served on the ship during World War II. For most of 1952, the Bataan operated off the Korean coast under fire from shore-based guns, supporting anti-communist guerrilla forces known as the Wolfpack. What he remembers most vividly was the cold: minus 10 degrees, with frozen seawater, snow-covered decks, and incoming fire.
After the Korean War, Gerry reinvented himself. Having completed only six months of high school, he enrolled at university to obtain his teaching certificate. “Never in my life did I imagine I would be studying at Melbourne University,” he said.
He went on to earn a Diploma in Industrial Design and spent a decade teaching woodwork at Westall High School.
His former students remember him warmly. “Mr Shepherd was a ripper,” wrote Frank Hagedorn on a Westall High Facebook page, after Paula posted a photo of Gerry at his 99th birthday.
“Deaf as a post and glasses like Coke bottles, but he had a heart of gold.” More than 100 similar messages followed from former students now in their 70s.
His time in the school system didn’t end in the workshop. He became a passionate advocate for careers guidance in schools and was appointed Victoria’s first full-time careers advisor in a government school. It was a position he held for 13 years at Westall before retiring in 1986 after 23 years at the school. He took particular interest in students who struggled academically or with communication, including newly arrived migrants.
Drawn to the sea all his life, Gerry eventually settled in Dromana, following in the footsteps of his parents who had retired there before him. He built his own home at the foot of Arthurs Seat, with views stretching out over the water.
On the peninsula, he has been equally committed to community. He joined the Safety Beach Coast Guard in 2008, served as its Welfare Officer for 11 years, and was recently awarded life membership. At the Dromana Bowls Club, he held the position of Community Wellbeing Officer for 15 years, and at age 98, stepped in as the club’s Santa Claus.
Combined, his 26 years of wellbeing officer roles across both organisations have meant countless birthday cards, bereavement cards, hospital visits, and – his signature touch – phone calls on members’ birthdays, singing happy birthday down the line.
A mad St Kilda supporter, Gerry reckons following the Saints is his gateway to heaven, though to others it may appear to be a journey that has required the patience of a saint.
After a couple of bouts of pneumonia at the end of last year, Gerry is now living at the Peninsula Grange in Mornington, where he is feeling the love and appreciation of his friends, family and neighbours through their visits.
His three daughters – Paula, Jane, and Julie – and six grandchildren will be among the more than 135 gathering at the Peninsula Club to mark the occasion.
For anyone who has spent time with Gerry, the enduring impression is simple: “He has a big smile, a twinkle in his eye, and takes a real interest in people,” said Mandile.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 3 June 2026
