Retirement Living
From sharing a beer with Michael Caine to flying from the comfort of your armchair; just some of the unique experiences lived by SwanCare resident Anthony French!
3rd July 2025
Defence Forces & Celebrity Meetings
From sharing a beer with Michael Caine to flying from the comfort of your armchair; just some of the unique experiences lived by SwanCare resident Anthony French!
Anthony was brought up during Apartheid in South Africa, in what was then known as ‘Zulu Land’. His dad worked for a sugar company, who provided all staff and their families with free accommodation in a private village, inaccessible to the public. “We were safe from crime,” said Anthony. “We had our own police force, and the 30 kids who lived there could run loose. The only problem was I was the only blonde kid and strangely found myself followed by three or four girls at any one time!”
Anthony had to travel by train to the city to attend high school, which posed many risks. “We had to build special armoured school buses so that if we ran over a mine, we were safe,” explained Anthony. “Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC) would wait in a valley-type situation and throw Molotov cocktails at passing trains which would catch fire. So, when I was 15, the army provided us with rifles. Half of us stuck our heads out the window and opened fire back at them, and the other half put the fires out.”
South African Defence Force
After graduating, Anthony became a “national service boy” for the South African Defence Force, spending two years training and two years in the war zone. “It was a big setup,” said Anthony. “Because of apartheid, the world wouldn’t supply us with arms, so we manufactured everything ourselves, and our army became huge.”
Anthony was in the Armoured Car Division as a licensed driver for “cars, tanks and anything going”. He was older than the other boys, making him Crew Commander. “I sat in the hatch at the top,” said Anthony, “with only half of me sticking out the top and a machine gun in front of me.”
The South African Border War went on from 1966 until 1989, with catastrophic losses. “Every day we would lose three or four young blokes, aged around 17 years old, and many wounded,” said Anthony. “Times were difficult, living conditions were poor … Finding water was hard, and when we did find it, we had to take turns to take baths. After two weeks without taking your clothes off, it was pretty rough.”
Rubbing Shoulders with Future Celebrities
A memorable moment for Anthony was meeting a young Michael Caine near Rorke’s Drift, where they were filming ‘Zulu.’ Anthony and some friends became extras, while Caine and the other actors preferred to join them around the campfire instead of staying in their caravans.
After four years of service, Anthony and the boys were told they could return home but must come back to serve for two months each year until they turned 55. Anthony’s response? “No way!”. At that point, 4100 had been killed, he thought there must be another way to get out. And there was.
A Passport to a New Life
Anthony got chatting to some people from the Australian United Nations who were visiting. They told him about Australia, a place with unlocked doors and little to no crime. Anthony was keen to migrate but had no way of doing so—until he found a loophole…
With the help of the United Nations, he met an Australian girl, who also wanted to return to Perth, and they married two weeks later. "We arrived in Perth and loved it. We found jobs the next day and rented a place together. I thought it would boom, but Australians said Morley Drive was the end of the line, that no one would live past it as it’s just endless bush!” recalled Anthony.
Anthony shared that there were five houses in Dianella, near Morley, each priced at $11,500. After purchasing one, they moved in and had twins. A land seller then offered him land around a hill for $4,500, which later became Greenwood Park. “Imagine, I would have been a billionaire if I’d bought it!” laughed Anthony!
Aviation Adventures
Later in life, Anthony became a pilot and moved from flying smaller aircraft to the “big stuff”, where he eventually retired from commercial flying. Flying runs in the family, with his father working as an RAF Spitfire pilot, and his son also following suit by joining the Airforce.
“My boy would sit on my lap as a kid while I was on the flight simulator,” said Anthony. “He’d muck around and learn how to fly, and when he was old enough got his licence – he didn’t have a car license at that point!”
These days, you’ll still find Anthony flying around the world from the comfort of his simulator located in his SwanCare home! “I can’t walk properly,” said Anthony. “But I can keep my brain active with flying. It’s important otherwise you go downhill.”
Thank you for sharing your incredible adventure, Anthony. With these and many more stories on hand, there’s no doubt he’d be happy to share if you see him around SwanCare!
Defence Forces & Celebrity Meetings
From sharing a beer with Michael Caine to flying from the comfort of your armchair; just some of the unique experiences lived by SwanCare resident Anthony French!
Anthony was brought up during Apartheid in South Africa, in what was then known as ‘Zulu Land’. His dad worked for a sugar company, who provided all staff and their families with free accommodation in a private village, inaccessible to the public. “We were safe from crime,” said Anthony. “We had our own police force, and the 30 kids who lived there could run loose. The only problem was I was the only blonde kid and strangely found myself followed by three or four girls at any one time!”
Anthony had to travel by train to the city to attend high school, which posed many risks. “We had to build special armoured school buses so that if we ran over a mine, we were safe,” explained Anthony. “Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC) would wait in a valley-type situation and throw Molotov cocktails at passing trains which would catch fire. So, when I was 15, the army provided us with rifles. Half of us stuck our heads out the window and opened fire back at them, and the other half put the fires out.”
South African Defence Force
After graduating, Anthony became a “national service boy” for the South African Defence Force, spending two years training and two years in the war zone. “It was a big setup,” said Anthony. “Because of apartheid, the world wouldn’t supply us with arms, so we manufactured everything ourselves, and our army became huge.”
Anthony was in the Armoured Car Division as a licensed driver for “cars, tanks and anything going”. He was older than the other boys, making him Crew Commander. “I sat in the hatch at the top,” said Anthony, “with only half of me sticking out the top and a machine gun in front of me.”
The South African Border War went on from 1966 until 1989, with catastrophic losses. “Every day we would lose three or four young blokes, aged around 17 years old, and many wounded,” said Anthony. “Times were difficult, living conditions were poor … Finding water was hard, and when we did find it, we had to take turns to take baths. After two weeks without taking your clothes off, it was pretty rough.”
Rubbing Shoulders with Future Celebrities
A memorable moment for Anthony was meeting a young Michael Caine near Rorke’s Drift, where they were filming ‘Zulu.’ Anthony and some friends became extras, while Caine and the other actors preferred to join them around the campfire instead of staying in their caravans.
After four years of service, Anthony and the boys were told they could return home but must come back to serve for two months each year until they turned 55. Anthony’s response? “No way!”. At that point, 4100 had been killed, he thought there must be another way to get out. And there was.
A Passport to a New Life
Anthony got chatting to some people from the Australian United Nations who were visiting. They told him about Australia, a place with unlocked doors and little to no crime. Anthony was keen to migrate but had no way of doing so—until he found a loophole…
With the help of the United Nations, he met an Australian girl, who also wanted to return to Perth, and they married two weeks later. "We arrived in Perth and loved it. We found jobs the next day and rented a place together. I thought it would boom, but Australians said Morley Drive was the end of the line, that no one would live past it as it’s just endless bush!” recalled Anthony.
Anthony shared that there were five houses in Dianella, near Morley, each priced at $11,500. After purchasing one, they moved in and had twins. A land seller then offered him land around a hill for $4,500, which later became Greenwood Park. “Imagine, I would have been a billionaire if I’d bought it!” laughed Anthony!
Aviation Adventures
Later in life, Anthony became a pilot and moved from flying smaller aircraft to the “big stuff”, where he eventually retired from commercial flying. Flying runs in the family, with his father working as an RAF Spitfire pilot, and his son also following suit by joining the Airforce.
“My boy would sit on my lap as a kid while I was on the flight simulator,” said Anthony. “He’d muck around and learn how to fly, and when he was old enough got his licence – he didn’t have a car license at that point!”
These days, you’ll still find Anthony flying around the world from the comfort of his simulator located in his SwanCare home! “I can’t walk properly,” said Anthony. “But I can keep my brain active with flying. It’s important otherwise you go downhill.”
Thank you for sharing your incredible adventure, Anthony. With these and many more stories on hand, there’s no doubt he’d be happy to share if you see him around SwanCare!
