![WITH HIS KIN: Don Crapp [centre] with his four children Louise, Robert, Elizabeth and Bruce. Photo: SUPPLIED](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/xry9xtRQu9u36zRV2j5976/a89f36c9-f844-48a2-bc9a-e883fb1a1869.jpg/r156_0_2048_1536_w576_h298_fmax.webp "WITH HIS KIN: Don Crapp [centre] with his four children Louise, Robert, Elizabeth and Bruce. Photo: SUPPLIED")
Bathurst man Don Crapp is edging ever so close to the fabled 'centenarian' club, celebrating his 95th birthday last week surrounded by family.
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Bruce Cameron, Mr Crapp's eldest child, hosted a small gathering on Saturday, February 6, to honour the occasion, which was also attended by Bruce's siblings, Louise, Elizabeth and Robert, and their extended families.
Mr Cameron said his Dad prefers more low-key gatherings, and was thrilled to mark the occasion with his family in tow.
"He received a number of phone calls in the morning from friends who, given their age group, weren't really in a position to be able to visit," he said.
"When we gave Dad 'three cheers' for his birthday, I made sure to acknowledge all the things he has experienced in his life, which the family listened to with plenty of intrigue."
Mr Crapp spent his early years at his family's orchard at Running Stream [near Ilford], before attending Sydney Boys High School as a boarder.
Mr Cameron said his Dad had to go to great lengths to visit his parents in between terms.
"Dad and his brother, Brian, would take the train from Sydney to Capertee railway station, where the mailman would escort them on a 16-kilometre [three-hour] walk home," he said.
"It was even more strenuous when he relocated to West Wyalong at 16 [during World War II] for a job at the Rural Bank. He had to ride his bike 22 miles [35 kilometres] to visit family at Tallimba, which was commonplace during his two years there."
After WWII, the Rural Bank relocated Mr Crapp to Bathurst, where he eventually married Margaret Makepeace in 1949 at the Bathurst Methodist [now Uniting] Church.
Mr Crapp was an active member of the Apex Club, throughout the 1940s and 50s, and was a keen cricketer, golfer and tennis player.
"Dad's uncle, Harold, had lived in Bathurst for a number of years and owned a wool scouring business on Rankin Street as well as a large home on Russell Street with a tennis court, where Dad regularly played," Mr Cameron said.
"Mum's family were deep within their church's community too, so Dad ended up making plenty of new connections."
From 1955 until 1984, the banking role took Mr Crapp to numerous locations across NSW, including Narrabri, Coonabarabran, Wollongong, Moss Vale, Forbes, Crookwell, Cootamundra and Katoomba.
He retired at the age of 70 after working for CDH Accountants for 10 years, alongside Bruce.
"It was lovely to reflect on his storied life, and it goes to show how much the world has truly changed," Mr Cameron said.
