WWII bomber pilot Howard Hendrick: A beloved Loxton hero, who rides quad bikes and does 4000 steps a day

WWII veteran Howard Hendrick sought a quiet life after the war — but in his tiny Riverland town, he’s a local legend who rides his quad bike, tracks 4,000 daily steps, and keeps up with tech.

In all his 101 years of living, WWII veteran Howard Hendrick has never had a sip of alcohol – and, in his own words, has tried to live a “quiet and peaceful life” upon his return home from war.

But within the small Riverland community of Loxton, Mr Hendrick is the talk of the town; a hero beloved by all, who still rides his quad bike, raves about the latest technological advances, and religiously maintains a daily 4000 steps.

Howard Hendrick uses his quad bike daily, to help him water the plants around his 20 acre property. Picture: Ben Clark

Anzac Howard Hendrick: WWII vet, RAAF, flying officer. Picture: Supplied

After first meeting at the local bakery – “the best in the Riverland”, he says – it took no more than ten minutes for five different people to come up, shake his hand, and tell me all about his legendary status.

A section of the cafe dedicated to ‘Howard’s Corner’ and a nearby street named in his honour – Mr Hendrick has been immortalised in Loxton’s history, with a recently painted mural set to uphold his long-lasting legacy of bravery and sacrifice for decades to come.

Mr Hendrick underneath his very own street name in Loxton. Picture: Ben Clark

A mural in honour of Mr Hendrick was recently painted on the side of a building in the town’s main street. Picture: Ben Clark

“I feel respected and I appreciate that, but I still feel like I’ve been perhaps a bit overexposed,” he said.

“You start to feel like, why me? Why do they make a big noise about me? Because we’ve had ex mayors here and lots of different people who have done a lot for the town, and I’ve done my bit years ago.

“I don’t (consider myself a hero) – I just did what I was told.”

Contrary to his belief, Mr Hendrick is in fact a hero.

A cunning bomber pilot in the Australian air force, he left his family’s Loxton fruit block and enlisted on Anzac Day in 1941 – returning back home in 1945 after logging 31 operations all over Europe.

For his service, Mr Hendrick was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the French Legion of Honour.

Mr Hendrick still volunteers at the Loxton RSL. Picture: Ben Clark

Post-war, he received Loxton’s Citizen of the Year award in 2016 and the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Australia Day honours list.

As we sat on the back porch of his 20 acre property – where he lives by himself – Mr Hendrick reflected on his time in battle, and his closest brush with death which remarkably came during training.

“We were doing a cross-country, long range trip and the speed was saying 400km/h, next it was 350km/h without doing anything, then it fell off bit by bit until it was about 300km/h and I said ‘gosh, something’s wrong’,” he said.

“I put the aircraft down vertically to help pick up speed to save us stalling and I’m going down in this dive and the speed keeps falling off.

“I thought the engine wasn’t working properly, but it was this little Pitot tube that got iced up because I hadn’t put the electric switch on to keep it hot.

“That was the biggest fright I got, and it frightened all the crew.”

Originally published as WWII bomber pilot Howard Hendrick: A beloved Loxton hero, who rides quad bikes and does 4000 steps a day