Century of hard work, porridge and good reads
ETTA Patrick’s children never doubted their mother would live to celebrate her 100th birthday.
The daughter of a ploughman supervised a bricklaying factory during World War II, milked cows by hand as a child, started a women’s soccer team in her teens and moved halfway across the world with her husband and children in the 1950s.
Etta’s willpower and strength of character have never been in doubt. Her daughter, Etta Vale, said her mum had always be “a very strong person”. “She has always worked very hard and been there for us.”
Son William said for the last 20 years all of Etta’s family had been “almost certain” she would make it to 100.
Etta, who now a resides at Estia Health Bannockburn, celebrated a century of life surrounded by friends and family on Monday.
She was born in the small Scottish village of Muiravonside in 1917, excelled at school and was dux of her class.
Etta began working at a bricklaying factory during the war years and was quickly promoted to supervisor.
It was there she started a work soccer team and played full-back.
Etta met her husband William during the war. They wrote to each other for two years while he served in Africa and were married within six months of the war ending.
The pair’s two children, who they named after each other, were born in 1948 and the family emigrated to Australia in 1964.
Etta and William lived in Herne Hill for more than 50 years.
Etta, who loves good Scottish music, said leaving her brothers and sisters to live in a foreign country was very hard. “I don’t drink, I don’t smoke. I’ve worked hard all my life,” she said.
Her secret to longevity is eating porridge for breakfast every day and reading regulary.