Alma reaches 100 year milestone

A champagne celebration for a Centenarian and her family.

From Bupa Queens Park

Alma never smoked and never drank alcohol during her life but she thought turning 100 deserved a naughty glass of bubbly.

Alma Ireland celebrated her 100th birthday recently, just a few weeks after two other fellow residents turned 105 and 101.

Bupa Queens Park Care Manager Michelle Mahony said regular visits from family members were vital at that age. “It keeps them going, they look forward to family visits and we encourage them whenever possible” she said.

Alma spent her birthday drinking champagne at a high tea on the home’s rooftop, with about 60 family and friends in attendance to help celebrate the milestone. Her daughter Wendy said her mother had been fiercely independent for most of her life. “She worked hard all her life but she didn’t drink or smoke,” she said. “She lived on seafood and she always had family around.”

Alma was born in the NSW eastern suburb of Botany where she has lived for most of her life. She worked as a machinist in a shoe manufacturer before she met Tom whom she married in 1944.

They had four children and were together until Tom died in 1999. Alma always looked after her children and the family liked to go on regular road trips to visit other Australian towns during their holidays.

Life is more relaxed now for Alma who enjoys the company of her family and other residents at Bupa Queens Park. She still enjoys seafood and loves watching concerts in the home. The great-grandmother of 10 children received a letter from the Queen to mark the special milestone. She is hoping to live until 106 like her mother.