Horsham's Jean Robinson turns 100 after a century of hard work, fun and family

Mrs Robinson will celebrate her 100th birthday on Boxing Day, although she says she doesn't feel any different.

Laughing, Mrs Robinson said everybody always asked her what the secret is to live a long life.

"I say 'well, just eat anything you feel like and do plenty of hard work!" she said.

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She was born in 1921 to William and Annie Gardner on their property near Goroke.

"Poor old dad was badly wounded with shrapnel in the First World War," she said.

"It was incredible the work he did... he made the house that we lived in out of cement-brick."

William's right hand was crippled by by the injury, meaning there were tasks he couldn't do around the farm.

"Growing up, we used to have to work hard. As kids we had to milk the cows and chop wood, things like that," Mrs Robinson said.

"It's a bit different today, but it didn't do us any harm. I've got to a hundred!

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"It's very hard to convince the young ones that we did what we did; I walked five kilometres to school every day and never missed a day's school."

Despite this, Mrs Robinson left school after year 8 to help out at home during the Great Depression, learning to cook, and staying on farms around the district to provide meals during shearing season.

Later on, she worked at Bland's Newsagency and Kemp's General Store in Goroke.

Although times were tough, decades ago "you made your own fun" according to Mrs Robinson - recreation meant "balls and sport".

"Once a month at least there'd be a big ball," Mrs Robinson said, explaining she and her sisters would attend regular dances at the Goroke and Peronne Halls.

"My sister Coral made all my ball dresses, and some very pretty ones too," Mrs Robinson recalled.

"We didn't miss too many dances... I think the young ones miss out on not going to dances. It was some of the best fun we could have."

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The girls would even ride their bikes "all afternoon" to attend dances in Edenhope, spending the night with their Aunty Grace.

"We didn't know any better, and we didn't look for any better. It was just good fun," Mrs Robinson said.

It was at one of these dances where Jean met the love of her life - Bert Robinson, however their fledgling relationship was soon on hold.

"He had to go off to the war and he was wounded there, lost his leg," Mrs Robinson said.

Returning home from the war, Mr and Mrs Robinson rekindled their romance, going out on dates even while Mr Robinson was still on crutches.

After frequent trips to Melbourne and a few skin grafts, Mr Robinson was fitted for a wooden leg.

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"Just an old wooden leg you had in those days. He punished it too, going duck shooting and walking out into the swamps," Mrs Robinson recalled.

But the couple never let it stop them having fun.

"Bert learned to dance with his awful wooden leg," Mrs Robinson said.

"He could only more or less dance with me; we used to practice you had to know where to put your foot, otherwise you'd get trodden on!"

The newlyweds were also enthusiastic tennis players.

"When we were first married, we would go off to play tennis every weekend," Mrs Robinson recalled.

"I was keen but I wasn't very good!

"While Bert and I went off to tennis, his brother went off to cricket... we all used to live together when we were first married.

"We didn't have any arguments, it was all just a lot of good fun."

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The world's changed a lot in the past hundred years; Mrs Robinson first learned to drive in a T-Model Ford, and getting a washing machine was a revelation.

"We used to boil the old copper, there was no such thing as a washing machine," she said.

But Mrs Robinson feels fortunate to have the life she's lived so far.

There were ups - cooking, playing tennis, fishing and winning prizes with her gardening - and downs - having to put down livestock during a drought - but life for Mrs Robinson has been anything but dull.

"I've had a good life, lots of fun," she said.

One hundred years is a longer time than many can even begin to imagine, but for Mrs Robinson it's just another birthday to share with her beloved family.

She has a daughter, Robyn, three grandchildren: Shannon, Anna and Tamika, and four great-grandchildren: Maya, Florence, Felix and Clementine.

She's lived through the Great Depression, a World War, numerous droughts and the isolation of living on a farm with limited connections with the wider world, but for Mrs Robinson it's been a great ride.

"I don't feel any different," she said, on reaching the milestone.

"I'm lucky I can still have a bit of a yarn."

Cards and well wishes already fill Mrs Robinson's living room ahead of the day.

Mrs Robinson and her family will celebrate the birthday milestone with an open house afternoon tea on Monday December 27 from 2-5pm with friends and family all welcome to enjoy the festivities.

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