The surgeons who carried out Colin Brown's heart bypass operation in 1977 told him he had only a dozen years to live.
Thirty-six years later, Mr Brown is ticking along nicely at age 91. Apart from age dimming his eyes, his health is fine and he returned to Whangarei from New Caledonia on Saturday after attending ceremonies to mark the 70th anniversary of New Zealand's involvement in the War in the Pacific.
Mr Brown served as a wireless mechanic with the Air Force during World War II, but was never stationed in New Caledonia.
He attended the ceremonies along with 83 other former New Zealand service personnel including Hollie Claris, of Whangarei, Bill Webb, of Dargaville, Ivan Grbich, of Kaitaia, and Harry Booth, of Cable Bay.
Thousands of New Zealanders fought in the Pacific War, which began with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, and ended with the Japanese surrender in September 1945.