Great, great grandma joins exclusive club
PATRICIA Sibthorpe has survived the Great Depression, World War II and the loss of the love of her life.
“We were man-powered to work and you had to work. My husband was in the airforce and where ever he was stationed, I would go and live,” she said.
“He was called away suddenly to go overseas and he didn’t even have time to tell me and when I found out, I thought, I can’t live here by myself because it was in Palmerston North.
“So I just went home to Auckland. Next thing I get a letter “report back at once.”
“That was from the government. I went up to tell him that my husband had just gone overseas and there was no reason for me to go back to Palmerston North.
“Woah, he flew at me. I started to cry and I was only about 20.”
Patricia with her late husband James Arthur which was taken around the 1950s.
Huge Milestone
Patricia turned 100 on June 13 but due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time, could not officially celebrate until the restrictions eased.
Last Thursday Symes Thorpe staff invited Patricia’s daughter Pam and her husband Peter to help celebrate the occasion with a delicious cake from Passiontree Velvet.
Patricia received a letter from Her Majesty The Queen, the Governor-General of Australia His Excellency David Hurley, the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison, the Governor of Queensland His Excellency Hon Paul De Jersey, Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Federal Member for Groom Hon Dr John McVeigh MP.
Patricia said her secret to a long life is simple. “To eat well and to stay healthy.”
“It’s important to eat healthy, but they don’t. It’s probably why I am still here. Life is so different. Sometimes you envy them of what they got and what they can do,” she said.
Pam said she believes her mum’s generation will be the last of the “long livers.”
This was the letter from Her Majesty The Queen addressed to Patricia Sibthorpe for turning 100 years of age.
Early Life
“It was a very simple life they led and I suspect that’s the reason why this generation are doing so well,” she said.
“I think personally they may be the last of the long livers in the sense that they haven’t required a lot of intervention like medically because they grew up with clean air, clean water, clean soil so everything they ate was fresh and there were no take away foods, no fast foods, no processed foods. no foods came out of a packet.
“I suspect none of us will be that fortunate. We will try hard though.”
Patricia spent most of her life working in a soap factory in New Zealand.
“They had to find a job for me so I had to get back home to work,” she said.
“I had a list and as I went down I saw union oil soap and candle company and that was near where our family lived.
“I was packing toilet soap. You just had to work.”
Patricia married her husband James Arthur who was a groundsman for Air New Zealand in 1939.
James died in 2010 at the age of 95.
A Historic Moment
“Patricia’s older brothers built a crystal set radio receiver and they listened to Sir Charles Kingsford Smith flying from Australia to New Zealand for the first time,” she said.
“They actually heard him speaking and mum was saying that he said they were flying so low that the sea was wetting the underside of the plane to get below the weather it was so bad and he made it. It was his first trip over and it was huge in New Zealand.”
Patricia celebrated her 100th birthday with her daughter Pam at Symes Thorpe Aged Care Home on Thursday July 9.
Time at Symes Thorpe
Patricia has been at Symes Thorpe for the past nine years and has enjoyed every minute of it.
“I love my room with my kitchen which you don’t often get in nursing homes and it’s really special,” she said.
“I enjoy the Christmas parties every year and Santa comes and he brings lollies for everyone. We also have a glass of wine, sometimes on our own which is nice.”
Patricia spent most of her life in New Zealand before making the oversea jump to Australia.
There is no slowing down for Patricia who is a very keen gardener, loves tai chi and walking around even at the age of 100.
Patricia has three great granddaughters, one great grandson and three great great grandsons. Her youngest great great grandson Luke is seven-weeks-old and Patricia hasn’t been able to visit him yet due to COVID-19.
“Once COVID-19 is under control, life will change,” Pam said.
Media Coverage:
7 News Toowoomba aired on Thursday night July 9
WIN News Toowoomba aired on Thursday night July 9
