100 years of memories for Addie
Adeline (Addie) has lived in the Bolton Clarke Fairview Residential Aged Care community for five years. A country girl at heart, her 100th birthday is good reason for her and her family to take a trip down memory lane.
Born in Gatton as the youngest of seven children, Addie grew up on the family farm at Lake Clarendon in the Lockyer Valley.
She rode her pony, Queenie, to school where during the school hours it would be let out in the paddock. At the end of the day one of her friends would round the pony up so that she could ride home again.
“Grandma grew up in the country and went back and forth between city and country a few times,” granddaughter Erin says.
“She worked on the home farm in Lake Clarendon and also at McWhirter’s department store in Fortitude Valley.”
It was at McWhirter’s that she met and married her first husband, Stanley, in 1947. He was based in Brisbane for a short time during the war.
“They met in Fortitude Valley while Grandma was waiting for a tram!” Erin says.
The two went on to live in Bowen, Toowoomba, and Brisbane. Addie had one child Ross, and now has three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Stan died in 1987, and a few years later Addie re-married her very first boyfriend, Fred.
“Fred was her boyfriend as a teenager, but they lost contact. They reconnected at a funeral, years later and soon got married,” Erin says.
“They had three years together at Lowood until he passed away but in marrying Fred, she also gained stepchildren and all of their extended family who became like family to us all.”
After Fred died, Addie returned to Brisbane and has lived in Middle Park, Jindalee, and in the 4074 area.
“She’s still going strong at 100 years old, and the family joke is that she will outlive us all!” Erin jokes.
She might not have the secret to a long life knuckled down, but Addie does enjoy a treat every now and then.
“I often would take her out shopping and to her appointments and one of her favourite things would be to get a chocolate milkshake and some chips from McDonalds,” Erin laughs.
“That’s one thing we would always get when we went out with her, and for a little while we’d bring them in for her even after she moved into residential aged care.”
