Betty’s 100 years thanks to “pure luck”
After years apart due to Covid-19, there was a reason for Bolton Clarke Galleon Gardens retirement village resident Betty and her family to come together and celebrate for a very special 100th birthday.
Betty was joined by 40 family members who travelled from Melbourne, New Zealand and Cairns to celebrate over the weekend.
“I’m the only one so far in the family to celebrate being 100 but I told everyone that I didn’t want any presents for it,” Betty said.
“It was lovely, a lot of the family I hadn’t seen since they were teenagers.
“I never thought I would get to 100 but now I’m here I don’t feel it.”
Playing both tennis and croquet until she was 94 - only stopping because she couldn’t serve the ball ‘correctly’ anymore - Betty has always been an active person.
“I started playing tennis when I was young and started playing croquet in my 80s – I have always just joined in,” she said.
Born and raised in inner-city Brisbane, she travelled widely and lived as far west as Mount Isa and as far north as Townsville during her married life.
“I worked for Dad for eight years, he was a dentist. I went in when I was 15 and came out when I was 23 when I got married,” she said.
“I was a dental nurse and dental mechanic as we had to do all the mechanical work ourselves.”
After making the decision to move into Galleon Gardens around 10 years ago, Betty now enjoys her down time and is still in disbelief that she has reached her century milestone.
“I honestly think it’s just luck and your genes to live to 100!”
She is the newest member of Bolton Clarke’s Centenarian Club, which celebrates the lives and stories of centenarian clients and residents.
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