GERROA’S Lilian Wood is celebrating her 100th birthday today.
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Mrs Wood, who was born in England, immigrated to Australia in 1978 after attending the wedding of her only child - daughter Cate.
“Mum raised me on her own after my father was killed while working as an engineering officer in the British Air Force in 1944 when I was just 11 months old,” Cate Waterhouse said during her mother’s surprise birthday party at Kiama Adult Care’s Friday Friends this week.
“I moved to Australia with a friend as a teacher in 1970 and mum visited a few times, but when my husband Geoff and I were married and had our son Drew, who is mum’s pride and joy, she decided to stay.
“She found work in afterschool care at Claremont College and then worked in the office at Centrepoint Tower in Sydney – before she retired at the age of 80 and moved down with us at Gerroa.
“In fact she retired for a while earlier to enjoy travel, but after about two years she was called back to get the office in order.”
Still enjoying a sharp mind, she loves the Friday Friends group and spends much of her time doing craft work, reading or doing crosswords.