A celebration fit for a centenarian

The much-loved Irene has lived every one of her 104 years with spirit and she enjoys nothing more than sharing the memories and stories of her well-lived life with family and friends. Perhaps that is the secret to her long life. Or maybe it is the vegetables she insists on eating every day, the Scrabble she continues to play, or the exercise she actively participates in — but surely not the three spoons of sugar she adds to her daily cups of tea.

“I think you should eat vegetables, eat good food, exercise and keep your mind active,” Irene suggests as being the key to a long life. “But I must have my sweet cups of tea, too.”

Sweet-toothed Irene can not keep the smile off her face after blowing out the candles on her beautiful birthday cake.

It was therefore unsurprising that when Irene helped Mercy Place Northcliffe Lifestyle Coordinator Pauline Magee organise her birthday party celebrations, food and activity were heavily featured.

“Irene wanted a magician, she wanted dancing and singing and she wanted sweet-and-sour chicken on the menu,” Pauline says. “So that’s what we organised, as well as a beautiful birthday cake to mark Irene’s very special day.

“Irene has lived through some hard times, so everyone at Mercy Place Northcliffe was really happy that we could give her a special day.”

Irene was a bright young woman who received a scholarship to be educated at Morley College in Westminster, London. She later worked as a bookkeeper before meeting her husband, John. Together, they settled down and became parents to a daughter, Patricia, before World War II began.

It’s up to you to make the most of what you have.

Irene and Patricia almost died during the war when a neighbouring bomb shelter received a direct hit, and from that day forward, Irene realised how precious every day was. She wanted to give her family a better life. With post-war England in a depression, Irene and John decided to pack up their lives and make the six week journey to Australia, a country Irene grew to love and eventually call home.

“Australia offered us so much,” Irene says. “I had come from a place where we’d had years of rationing, to Australia, where we had access to meat, eggs, bread and so many colourful fruits.”

Irene and her family eventually settled in Cheltenham after some time in Western Australia, and Irene immersed herself into the community. She took up many hobbies and is an internationally published poet, an acclaimed artist and most of all, has an infectious, positive attitude towards life.

“It’s up to you to make the most of what you have,” she says. “Try to be positive because what you feel on the inside always comes out on the outside.”

In 1920, when Irene Ballard was just five years old, the Sisters of Mercy opened their first Victorian hospital, St Benedict’s in Malvern. You are invited to celebrate 100 years of Mercy Health by sharing your Mercy memories and stories on our centenary website.

Irene loves the birthday card that her friends created to mark her 104th birthday.