Victor was born in Mauritius but grew up in Israel. His parents, originally from Gdańsk in northern Poland and of German heritage, were sent to Mauritius during the Second World War. "They didn’t stay long," Victor remembers being told, "and moved to Israel soon after."
Victor spent his childhood in Israel. "I did my schooling there and had a good life growing up,” he said, reminiscing, and added, “My love of football started after playing it as a boy." When his parents divorced, Victor stayed in Israel with his mother.
By 16, he went on his own to live in a kibbutz (a communal living situation unique to Israel and historically centred around collective farms), and he looked after himself. "I joined the football team there, and it was one of my favourite things to do," he says. "During the holidays, I’d go and visit my parents and friends." At 18, Victor joined the Israeli army, serving for two years.
Victor’s father remarried and emigrated to Australia, where most of his six children, all girls, were born. "My father lived in Adelaide with his wife and daughters. I travelled on my own to visit him. I enjoyed it so much I ended up staying."
In his late twenties, Victor married Elizabeth, an Australian. “I really liked going to the beach but my wife wasn’t so keen,” Victor recalled. "But we always looked forward to the holidays and time off. We didn’t have any children, but I’m very close to my sisters, so I have plenty of nieces and nephews."
Victor worked for SA Railways. "Trucks would drop off goods, and we’d load them into carriages for transport across the state." Later, Victor moved to Sydney, where he continued working for the railways in NSW.
When asked what he loved most about Australia, he said "I enjoyed the relaxed lifestyle, and everything felt new to me.”
