Turning 100 is a big deal, so how does one approach the celebration when the centenarian in question would prefer only the nearest and dearest to be at her side for the celebration?
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Norma Mansell, who is one of Warramunda Village’s longest-tenured residents, will turn 100 on January 11 and has already received seven letters from international and Australian dignitaries congratulating her on her impending celebration.
She is not one to make a fuss, but when you are celebrating your 100th birthday there is not a whole lot you can do to avoid some sort of party.
When I asked her only child, Wendy Stanlake, to describe her mum’s personality she used words such as “quiet” and “reserved” — explaining that she had checked on several occasions in the past few weeks whether, in fact, she even wanted a 100th birthday party.
“I’ve checked with her several times to see if she is sure she wants a birthday party,” Wendy said.
“We’re coming up to Warramunda on the 11th (Saturday) to have a lunch in the dining area with her.
“The whole family won’t be there, because there is a bit happening at the moment, but those that can’t make it plan to visit soon to celebrate their grandmother’s birthday.”
Her reference to there being “a bit happening” was in relation to the impending arrival of Norma’s fifth great-grandchild, who is expected on the 13th.
Norma’s youngest grandchild, Danielle (Wendy and husband Bruce’s daughter), and husband Blair are expecting their second child two days after the matriarch of the family ticks over into triple figures.
Small family gatherings have been held, in keeping with Norma’s requirements, for her 70th and 80th birthdays. Her 90th birthday was a small family gathering at the Haslem St home of well-known Kyabram identity Helen Walsh.
Norma has lived at Warramunda for 11 years, arriving in November 2013.
Her parents, William and Ida Johnson, owned a dairy farm at Stanhope. William was on the original board that was the precursor to Bonlac.
Neither of her parents had the longevity that Norma has enjoyed, her father passing away in his early 50s, while her mother lived to 86.
Norma was born in Nagambie, and had two siblings (a brother, Leonard, and sister, Wilga), who lived into their 70s and 80s.
She went to school in Rushworth and then to Stott’s College in Melbourne, where she completed a business course and later returned to work for a bank in Rushworth.
Those skills stuck with her for a number of decades, her daughter explaining that right up until a couple of years ago she could add everything up in her head as quick as a flash.
“She is still pretty good with her memory, even now,” Wendy said.
Norma married her husband, Frank, who had emigrated with his family from Canada, and moved just up the road to his family property at Girgarre.
Like so many couples of the era they met at a dance and were soon homemakers on the Winter Rd dairy farm.
Wendy is an only child for the family, which she recognised was quite rare for those days.
She was a student at Girgarre Primary School, which at the time had about 100 children on its books.
Norma’s personality hasn’t changed all that much over the years; her daughter explaining she was never one to be overtly social — even when she and Frank moved to Kyabram in 1972.
“Mum is a very quiet person, but dad made up for it. He helped build the netball courts at Girgarre, was a founding member of the Valley View Golf Club (with Norma’s brother, Len, and many other friends from the surrounding area) and was also involved in the Lions club at Stanhope,” Wendy said.
Norma doesn’t follow football, but likes the races, has been a keen gardener and lawn bowler over the years and is a self taught — and highly talented — dressmaker.
“She taught herself dressmaking and how to sew. She made all my clothes as a child,” Wendy said.
Quite comfortable living the simple life on the Girgarre property, there was the occasional highlight for the family — including Frank’s purchase of a brand new Toyota Crown vehicle (in the mid-1960s) — from close friend Dick Isaac.
Frank passed away in 1984 and Norma continued to live at the Lewry St property until she turned 89.
She has three grandchildren, the eldest, Joanna (whose partner is Craig), Matthew (married to Catherine) and Danielle (married to Blair).
She has four great-grandkids and, as mentioned, a fifth due a couple of days after her celebration.
Her great-grandchildren range in age from Theo, 19, and Indie, 16, to Hamish, 2, and Bruce 16 months (who is named after Wendy’s husband and also a nod to Catherine’s Scottish family ancestry).
While Joanna is a marketing director, Norma has had the benefit of the advice from health professionals Matthew (a physiotherapist) and Danielle (an occupational therapist).
“They have done regular assessments on both Mum and I, and given out plenty of advice,” Wendy said.
The 90s have not been all beer and skittles for Norma, with COVID-19 providing quite a few confronting situations when aged care facilities were — as Wendy described it — “doing it pretty tough”.
“We didn’t visit Mum for six months at one point,” she said from her home on the Mornington Peninsula.
“We normally come up to see her once a month and the grandchildren travel to see her quite a lot as well. All three grandchildren are in Melbourne,” she said.
As for those letters we mentioned early in the piece, they will not be revealed to Norma until her birthday.
“We’ve received a letter from the King and one from the Governor-General of Australia, Sam Mostyn, and the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese.
“I’ve got seven letters in all, another from the Governor of Victoria (Margaret Gardner), along with quite a few politicians (state Member for Northern Victoria Gaelle Broad, Premier Jacinta Allan and state Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh),” she said.
Mr Walsh recently lost his own mother, on New Year’s Eve, when she was just shy of her own 99th birthday.
Wendy said when she applied for the King’s letter she didn’t realise it would spark a string of mail from other sources.
For Norma though it will probably be a shrug of the shoulders and maybe a whisper of “that’s nice” when she has them in her hands.
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