Family reunite for Helen’s 100th
Helen Kirton, who has lived in Bunyip for the past six years, recently celebrated her 100th birthday at the Tonimbuk Hall.
All of Helen’s four children, nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren were there to help her celebrate - with daughter Nicki and granddaughter Jodi flying home from London , son Ric and grandchildren Jess and Dylan from the USA, daughter Michele coming from Perth and granddaughter Lara with her two daughters from Sydney. Helen’s son Derick and family live locally.
This was the first time that all of Helens’ descendants had been together with her at the same time.
Immaculately dressed, Helen greets me with a smile as we sit down to talk about her life. She tells me that the wheelie walker in the corner of the room is for emergencies only; Helen’s only walking aid is a walking stick.
Helen has a sharp mind and a quick wit with a great sense of humour. When she talks about her past, she is able to describe in minute detail all of those events. She also remembers vividly when man walked on the moon, the assassination of JFK, the drowning of Prime Minister Harold Holt and the death of Princess Diana.
Helen Kirton (nee Wheeler) was born in Narrabri (NSW) on December 18, 1917.
She had two brothers who were both killed in WWII, one at sea and the other in New Guinea. Of her two sisters the younger one died at age eight. Her other remaining sister passed away in 1989.
Her younger years were spent at Narrabri, then she went to boarding school at Mossvale and onto Sydney University where she completed an Arts Degree in 1939.
She has vivid memories of her childhood years – talking to the Swaggies, who were never a problem, sleeping on the verandah and her father’s luxury cars - namely a T Model Ford, a Chandler and an Armstrong Siddeley.
In 1940 she met RAAF wing commander Peter Birch, a spitfire pilot and after a short courtship of 10 weeks the couple married. Following Peter’s death in 1962, Helen married David Kirton who was a grazier. David passed away in 2010.
Some of the significant events of Helen’s life include the birth of her four children and living in Sydney during the war and remembering the time that the Japanese midget submarines entered Sydney Harbour.
She recalls the family going by sea to the UK in 1955 to live there for two and a half years while Peter was there on exchange with the RAF.
Possibly the most significant event happened when Helen was flicking through the pages of the Melbourne Age and saw a tiny article which read that human WWII remains were found in New Guinea in the same area that her 23-year-old brother James was killed.
A farmer was ploughing his field and came across human remains. Helen made inquiries and found that these unknown bones had been sitting in a war museum for 10 years.
It was established that these were her brother’s remains which finally brought the family closure. Her other brother died at sea when the boat was attacked and sunk. His remains were never recovered.
In 2010 the federal government sponsored Helen, son Derek and daughter Michelle and other family members to attend the funeral of her brother James in New Guinea. A military nurse and a Padre were part of the official contingent. James was buried with full military honours at the Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery where there are 3824 burials, 699 of which are of unknown soldiers.
Helen enjoys watching the tennis and swimming on TV. During her university years she was a champion hurdler. She has received an award in recognition of 30 years of volunteer work at the Korowa Court and for many years volunteered at the Mt Eliza Opportunity shop.
Two years ago Helen drove her car between Warragul and Pakenham, but now she restricts herself to just driving around Bunyip.
Helen enjoys embroidery and is a member of a local sewing group.
Her message to young people is to stay away from drugs and to have a good work ethic. Her philosophy on life is to not worry about things that you can’t change. Helen is sure that her longevity is due to healthy eating, a positive outlook on life and her two glasses of white wine before dinner each night.