Nowra's Alice Guppy made a remarkable contribution to the war effort during World War II. Six of her seven sons served overseas in defence of their country.
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And, in a most un-Saving Private Ryan-like twist, the family bucked the odds with all of them returning home unscathed.
''I can't recall any of us even being injured or wounded,'' Bruce Guppy, now 89 and her sole surviving child, said on Friday.
For her efforts Australia honoured Mrs Guppy with not just one but two ''female relatives badges'', the silver medallions presented to the nearest female relative of soldiers, sailors and airmen sent overseas on active service.
Gilded stars on each badge represented the number of people a family had sent to war. Mrs Guppy received her second badge when it proved impractical to squeeze another star on the first one.
Bruce Guppy, supported by almost another dozen members of the family, was in Canberra to present the badges to the Australian War Memorial.
While it already has some female relatives badges in its collection, Mrs Guppy's are believed to be unique.
Brendan Nelson, the AWM director, said seeing so many of Mrs Guppy's grandchildren and great grandchildren was a poignant reminder of the price Australia had paid in the war. ''If Bruce, or some of the other brothers, had not returned then there would be fewer people in this room today,'' he said.
Mr Guppy, although on the cusp of 90, firmly believes life is meant to be lived. He said he and his brothers had all joined up to do their bit because Australia was at war even though there was not a strong tradition of military service in the family.
''We grew up in the country (at Nowra) and were in the Light Horse (a form of the militia),'' he said. ''It was a natural progression.''
Mr Guppy said that while army life had not been easy, some men made it harder by not knuckling down. ''Life is what you make it,'' he said. ''You've got to get off your backside and give it a go.'' That was certainly the case with him. He signed on as a paratrooper and found himself jumping out of planes even though he has a fear of heights.
''My first jump was at Richmond,'' he said. ''I came up to the door and there was a big bloke standing behind me. He gave me a good smack on the backside and I was outside.''
His biggest complaint about New Guinea was not the Japanese, the climate or even the insects. It was thirst. ''There was no beer the whole time I was there,'' he said.
After the war he trained as a builder and plied his trade around Wollongong until his retirement.
''I didn't get a chance to go to high school,'' he said. ''My first job was working on farms and then the war interrupted everything.''
The other stars are for: Corporal Alan Guppy (born 1915), Sapper Ken Guppy (born 1919), Gunner Ron Guppy (born 1920), Driver Malcolm Guppy (born 1921) and Leading Aircraftman Neil Guppy (born 1925).
