She was born one month before Australia’s involvement in the First World War, 1914.
Fast forward 104 years, and Margaret Beryl Smith, or Peggy as she likes to be called, is blowing out the candles on another milestone moment.
The resident of Ark Health Care at Sylvania turns 104 today, July 19.
Her parents were originally from England, and she was one of six children.
She started work as a milliner at Henderson Hats in Sydney. Soon after she became an office worker, where she met her husband Frank, a builder.
They dated for five years before they married, when Peggy was 23 years of age. She said it was “love at first sight”.
He built their first house at Gymea Bay. The couple didn’t have any children but they many nephews and nieces. They later moved to Sutherland.
Peggy enjoyed knitting, crosswords and reading books. Together with her husband she played bowls, tennis, golf, and going dancing on a Saturday night.
Peggy has been living at Ark Sylvania since 2016 and she is its oldest resident.
She enjoys a drop of sherry in the evenings and says this has helped her have a long and healthy life.
