Our lovely client Merle recently turned 100, making her the 2nd NSW HSS to celebrate a 100th birthday in 2020.
We were excited to celebrate the milestone with Merel. General Manager, Graham Shanahan visited Merle for morning tea and presented her with a beautiful bouquet. Merle made morning tea for Graham and had her best bone china out, making the occasion even more special.
Merle always attends the HSS’s client functions, but sadly these have been put on hold due to COVID. Merle is eagerly looking forward to the next event, which hopefully can take place once day soon.
Below is a recount of Merle’s life to date.
Merle was born in Sydney on 2nd September 1920. Her family of four moved quite a few times due to her father’s need to try new things. One of those was a poultry farm which turned Merle off eating chicken for life!
As a young child and teenager, Merle loved attending Sunday school, church and associated activities.
On leaving school, Merle went to Business College in Sydney. Her first job was working for the Masters’ Butcher’s Federation. Life was good and got even better when she met Syd through a friend of her brother’s.
Syd proposed on New Year’s Eve 1940, and they married in June the following year. Their wedding night was spent on a train from Sydney to Melbourne where Syd was based in the Air Force because at that time World War II was well underway. Syd was a medic in the Air Force and was posted to New Guinea twice. This was a hard time, but in 1945 just before Syd returned to New Guinea, they found they were expecting their first child. The war ended, and Syd made it home just in time for the birth of their first daughter. Later, they were blessed with another daughter and son.
Merle and Syd lived in Sydney, Canberra and Coffs Harbour. They enjoyed quite a few overseas holidays to the UK, Europe, USA, New Zealand and saw quite a bit of Australia.
In 2006 they made a good decision to move to Boambee Gardens retirement village, getting involved in village life and making new friends. Merle and Syd celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary at Boambee gardens with family and friends. Sadly, not long after, Syd passed away.
Merle is a much loved and loving Mum to three, Grandma to nine and great Grandma to nine. Merle often says she’s had a very blessed life. She had been involved in the Revival fellowship for quite a number of years and God has always been front and centre in her life. That, and not smoking or drinking and having salad nearly every day, is what she’d say helped her make It to this amazing milestone.
