A TOAST TO FOUR SPECIAL BIRTHDAYS
A SOUTH Australian aged care home will today throw a party more than 400 years in the making.
Japara Oaklands Residential Care residents Mona Biggs, Margaret (Mollie) Hendy-Pooley, Jean Bowstead and Ross King were all born in May, between 1915 and 1920.
Today, they will be bestdressed and centre of attention at a joint birthday party.
Mrs Hendy-Pooley, who turned 105 on May 13, was granted special permission to celebrate with family.
“I was at my son’s place for a birthday feast and I’m still recovering from all that,” Mrs Hendy-Pooley said.
The former WWII nurseturned-teacher is also known as The Lady of Lockebar and Lady of Glencoe, after her family bought a plot of land in
Scotland for her. While she kept herself busy with sewing tapestries and card-making, her secret to longevity was “good food, accepting things as they come and always have a glass of wine a day”.
Mrs Bowstead, who was born in Broken Hill on May 12, 1918, said the key to her long life was to “just get up in the morning and get going”. “I’m always up early … at 6.15am.”