Centaurus ' posts always paint an interesting story, and this one is no exception. That, and the subsequent discussion, has somehow brought George a personality that we might not otherwise have had.
It seemed somehow sad to me that Centaurus had lost touch with him and Mrs George of the coffee... so a little research later it does seem his last name was indeed Petrů, and that he was probably Czech.
Unfortunately while I can't find a lot about George's later life it seems likely his father, Mecislav, was an architect who was born at Königinhof, Bohemia, on the banks of the river Elbe in 1881. He is recorded as living in the Melk district, Lower Austria in 1916, then he died at Prague, Czech Republic, in 1941.
At some stage Mecislav married Milan, and George would have been born some time in 1921 or 1922. George would have been around 16 when Austria was annexed by Germany, 17 when WWII started, 19 when his father died, then 23 when the war finished and the Red Army entered his home.
One could surmise that, initially, he grew up in a quiet but busy environment as a member of a middle-class family who appreciated the arts and engineering, and might have expected to attend University, perhaps in Vienna, but for the brutal intercession of the war. It's complete speculation at this point but if he was living in Austria in the 1930's, and given many Austrian's supported Hitler, it's entirely possible he did fly Stukas - for the Nazi's - or he may have been part of a resistance movement and somehow flew them there. This information (from WW2db) on Czech citizens during WWII is telling:
During the war, thousands of ethnic Czechs and Slovakians fought for the Western Allies. Early in the war, a Czechoslovakian branch was formed under the French Army, with its 1st Infantry Division seeing action in the German invasion of France. Later in the war, as many made their way to the United Kingdom, many Czechoslovakians joined the British military and fought in North Africa, Middle East, and Europe; the No. 310 Squadron of the British Royal Air Force, active participants of the Battle of Britain, was famously all-Czech.
Given the disjointed times I guess we may never know the full story about George's life during WWII but either way Australia in the later 1940's & 1950's would have seemed like heaven in comparison to the tumultuous years of his late teens and early 20's. No wonder he had a big smile and was enthusiastic about life...