Vi Pointer and Mavis Price share the same birthday and have similar memories of historic events but one has just pipped the other to reach the 100-year milestone.
The pair, who are residents of Juliana Village at Miranda, will mark 2019 with a double celebration.
Both born on January 15, the ladies will ring in the new year when Mrs Pointer turns 101, and Mrs Price, 100.
Mrs Price was born in Victoria in 1919 into a family who farmed rice and wheat. She married at the young age of 19 to Harold (Harry) Price, who spent most of his working life as an ambulance officer before becoming a deputy superintendent in St George and Sutherland Shire.
The couple had two children, Jennifer and Gary, who each provided six grandchildren for their mother. All but one live in the shire. Mrs Price also has 12 great-grandchildren. She lived most of her life at Caringbah.
She was active in her career ,working many years at McDowell's Department Store Caringbah and teaching dressmaking at Kogarah Tech. She was deeply involved in charities including Crippled Children, ambulance committees, scouting, girl guides, senior citizens association, Masonic widows and the P&C Association.
Her son Gary says even at her significant age, his mother remains the matriarch of the family.
“I used to refer to her as the ‘presidents of presidents', since she held so many such positions over her very full life,” he said.
“Her involvement is all sorts of organisations staggered me. She was a real contributor to the community.”
Mr Price says his mum was always a very strong woman.
“Mavis's life was in many regards tragic, but she remained stoic through it all,” he said.
“Losing her father at an early age, two brothers killed in World War II, losing Harry too early in his 80s, having one kid – me – with the dreaded polio and another with other medical issues, all seemed to be taken in her stride.”
