Local hockey legend celebrates 105th birthday

Maryborough local Cecilia believes it’s important to live every day well, and after almost 105 years she continues to live by that advice.

The Bolton Clarke Baycrest resident was born in Howard on 10^th October 1917 and travelled around north Queensland for most of her early life.

“We went all over the place when I was younger because my dad was in the railway from Babinda to Mount Isa and Ayr,” Cecilia said.

“After we moved back to Maryborough, I got into hockey and did that for 50 years, I was 83 when I trained the last team and 100 when I won the Australia Day Award.

“I started our local hockey club, I put one team in and by the time I had finished, I had a team in every grade,” she said.

Cecilia’s love for the sport started when she picked up the hockey stick at 16 years of age in Mount Isa and would later result in her being named Fraser Coast’s Sportsperson of the Year in 2018 for her contribution to the sporting community after starting the Tinana Hockey Club.

“We lived in the same house in Tinana for 60 years and the kids used to go past my house and say, ‘that’s where the hockey lady lives!’.”

Cecilia will be celebrating her 105^th birthday with her family and says she is so happy to still be healthy.

“I have 29 grandchildren, 40 great grandchildren and a great, great grandchild on the way so I’m glad they don’t all come home at once!”

As for living such a long and healthy life, Cecilia’s advice?

“I would say just keep on living and live every day, a day at a time and don’t dwell in what’s gone past, just look to the future.”