Recently Ava, Porsha and Bella caught up with Muriel Kelly, Sailors Gully born and bred, who turned 101 on the 3rd of July this year.
For 100 years, Muriel celebrated her birthday on the 5th of July and she remembers her mum telling her that she shared her birthday with her cousin. Her mum never let on that it was not actually her real birthday and Muriel’s family only found out the truth last year when they applied for a congratulatory message from the Queen. You can imagine how surprised everyone was!!
“We didn’t drink,
We didn’t smoke,
And we didn’t go out with bad men”.
It seems strange that this could happen.
In fact, the reason was because one hundred years ago, women usually gave birth at home and had to wait to come into town to register the new baby. So Muriel was registered on the 5th and that is why she celebrated on that day for all those years.
Muriel was born in Sailors Gully, went to school there, and lived there all her life.
The primary school that she attended is now Eaglehawk North Primary School and she commenced there in 1924. Muriel remembers her siblings and how they all got along together.
“There was always fighting and squabbling amongst ourselves, but we had great times growing up—it was wonderful”.
She classed her older sister as her best friend and recalled lots of happy times about how they helped each other and played together.
Muriel is the middle child of seven, having three older and three younger siblings.
Strangely enough, Muriel’s mum is also the middle child, being one of seventeen.
Muriel’s family member all live well into their nineties and some even grow to be over one hundred years old. Her brother is turning 103 this year!!
“we’ve got long genes in our family…we’ve got cousins that lived to be 105 and 106”
