Born on 7 August 1916, Lillian is our oldest resident at Southern Cross Care (WA).
She grew up in England and immigrated to Australia with her husband in the early 1950s. On arrival in Australia the couple moved to Melbourne and lived in the Camberwell and Box Hill area.
Lillian now lives at SCC (WA)’s aged care home Southern Plus East Fremantle. She has one daughter, one granddaughter and two great grandchildren, who she adores.
Lillian dedicated her adulting life to being a homemaker. She loved knitting, sewing, and looking after her daughter Celia.
In the early 1980s, Lillian and her husband relocated to Perth to be closer to Celia and their granddaughter Sarah. They lived south of Perth in Shoalwater for many years before her husband sadly passed in 1987.
Lillian lived independently until recent years, when she moved into residential aged care at Southern Plus East Fremantle (SPEF) in June 2022.
Sarah said her grandmother would often share many stories about her move to Australia, describing her many adventures in great detail.
“The first time they immigrated to Australia, they came over by ship,” Sarah said.
“They moved back to England for a while and then eventually settled in Australia. So, when they decided to come back the second time they came by plane.
“Up until not that long ago she could still describe the interior of that aircraft even down to the blue seats.”
Sarah said Lillian was always in good spirits, despite developing difficulties with her hearing and memory in recent years.
“She’s always been very stoic and dependable, and she’s helped out with the family a lot. She’s great,” Sarah said.
SPEF Lifestyle Coordinator Kayne said despite her age, Lillian is still an active member of the home and is always an enthusiastic participant in daily activities and events.
“Lillian particularly likes to go to our pamper afternoons and have her nails painted and she also enjoys the exercise group,” Kayne said.
“She is one of our residents that will come along and take part in pretty much all of the activities.”
Kayne said Lillian’s presence never fails to light up a room.
“I have a large armchair in front of my office that Lillian sits in every day,” he said.
“It’s nice to see her when I look over the top of my computer screens. She always looks at me and smiles. If I’m having a bad day her little smile always makes me feel better.”
