By Jessica Micallef
Meet Gisborne’s newest centenarian.
Ellie Mann celebrated her 100th birthday at Gisborne Oaks Residential Aged Care earlier this month with her family and friends.
“It doesn’t feel any different to any other day,” Ms Mann said.
“But when you know it’s 100, you think how you reached this age. I never thought of it.”
Born in Belfast on August 4, 1919, Ms Mann said she could remember her early life “vividly”.
“That was just after the First World War in 1918 – the world was still recovering,” she said.
Before moving to Australia in 1955, Ms Mann married Bill Chambers in 1940. Together, they raised two daughters Margaret and Marie.
“We had two friends [including Agnes] at home [in Belfast] and they were farmers,” she said.
“Agnes moved to Australia and she wrote such glowing letters about the weather – she told me all about the sunshine. Then she asked if we would like to come out.
“We came out here and we settled up in Woodend, which I thought was a great big metropolis. I had no idea the size of Woodend.
“The strange thing was I made friends a lot easier. I got to know all the people [and] we went to the church there.
“I was homesick for my family but I was never homesick to get back. I was enjoying the sunshine so much here.”
Ms Mann is the proud mother or two daughters, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
“I’m very happy here.”
Ms Mann’s philosophy to a long and happy life is having no milk and making the most of every day.
“Tomorrow is a new day,” she said.
