BATHURST resident Coral Allan has started her 36,527th day of life after turning 100 years old on Saturday.
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A resident at Whiddon Kelso, Mrs Allan has lived in Bathurst since 2003 after moving to the regional city from Parramatta in Sydney’s western suburbs.
Her birthday was celebrated with a small gathering at the care facility on Saturday, where she was joined by family members for the special occasion.
The room was given some cheer with a few decorations and they all enjoyed lunch together.
Her son, Rod Allan, said the family was both happy and amazed that she had lived as long as to see her 100th birthday.
“It was a great effort,” he said.
“She’s got most of her faculties still. Her short term memory is a bit hazy at times, but her long term memory is excellent.”
Mrs Allan still keeps her mind quite active, having library books delivered for her to read, regularly watching the news and recently she has been enjoying the television coverage of the Australian Open.
She has also proven to be quite the cricket fan over the years, Mr Allan said, as she followed the Australian cricket team to England in 1977 for the Ashes series.
It was the year of major conflict between Kerry Packer's Nine Network and the Australian Cricket Board, which led to Packer creating the rival World Series Cricket, drawing away star players from the international series.
Australia was left with a relatively inexperienced squad and ended up losing the series that year, seeing England regain The Ashes for the first time since 1972.
Outside of sport, Mr Allan said his mother had travelled overseas a number of times to Asia and Europe after the death of her husband, who died from war-related injuries after his involvement in World War Two.
She has been a widow for 43 years.
Her husband was not the only war hero in her life, as he father fought at Gallipoli.
In addition to being kept busy as a mother of two boys, Mrs Allan was also a career woman.
She worked as a dental nurse prior to her marriage and then later was a secretary.
"We weren't rich, but we had a good life," Mr Allan said of his childhood.
Mrs Allan’s family has expanded over the years and she now has six grandchildren, four great grandchildren and several step-great grandchildren.