There were smiles, balloons and plenty of birthday cake in Melbourne’s Wheelers Hill on Monday as two cherished neighbours celebrated reaching 100 and 102 years young together.
Wheelers Hill locals Iris Wynter and Joan Gibson have shared more than five decades living on the same street, and this week they shared something even more special: centenarian celebrations filled with joy, family and decades of friendship.
Great-great-grandmother Wynter, who has now reached the big 1-0-0, modestly credits her long life to “simple luck”, although her friends and family insist her spirit and positivity have plenty to do with it.
Just down the street, 102-year-old Gibson continues to inspire as one of Australia’s few surviving female World War II veterans who served in Japan. It was during the war she met her beloved husband Doug, beginning a love story that lasted more than 65 years.
“From that time on, every night he came to the hospital,” Gibson told 7News. “We were fortunate we had over 65 years married.”
Age certainly isn’t slowing either woman down. Both still live independently and keep their social calendars packed.
“I go to War Widows. I go to Legacy. I’m just never home,” Gibson said.
Reflecting on a life filled with love, service and community, she added: “I’m grateful for everything about the world. I’ve lived a great life and if I go tomorrow, I’ve got no regrets.”
For the happy neighbours and their proud families, this week was simply a celebration of joy, strength and two lifetimes well lived.
Image: 7News
