Marjorie Taylor had a hundred reasons to smile on Thursday, 10 January receiving birthday cards from Queen Elizabeth II and the Governor-General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove.
The Eltham great-grandmother and community stalwart celebrated her 100th birthday party at home, surrounded by family and friends – and even had a visit from Nillumbik Shire Council Mayor Karen Egan.
Egan gave her a framed letter, flowers and the good wishes of all the Councillors.
“Huge congratulations to Mrs Taylor – she is a shining example of ageing positively,” Egan said.
Mrs Taylor was born in Footscray in 1919. She ran her own hairdressing salon in Melbourne during World War II, before she married Benjamin Taylor, a former Shire Councillor, and moved to Eltham.
The sprightly centenarian, who has lived in her Eltham home for 73 years, said a lot had changed in the [Eltham, and later, Nillumbik] Shire over the decades.
“It was rather lovely, we used to wear long dresses with hats and gloves,” she said. “There was a general store that sold everything, even jodhpurs.”
During her lifetime, Qantas and Vegemite were founded in the early 1920s, TV started in 1956, Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared in 1967 – and Marjorie also lived through the Great Depression and the Vietnam War.
“I’ve been happy. It’s been a wonderful life. There’s no big deal about turning 100 really,” she said. “One thing though, I’ve never been bored!”
She certainly hasn’t. When her four children – now aged in their 60’s and 70’s – were growing up, she cut their hair, sewed their clothes and helped out at their schools.
Over the years Marjorie volunteered at St Margaret’s Anglican Church in Eltham, Anglicare, Link, Foodshare and a host of other community groups.
She supported a person with a disability for many years and also took in children from the now-defunct St John’s Children’s home.
Egan said Nillumbik had one of the highest life expectancy rates in Victoria and she expected many more to reach the three-digit milestone.
