Former ballet dancer Victoria Forth turns 103 and shares her secret to a long life

Victoria Forth may be 103 but she still has a zest for life and passion for ballet, although she hasn’t professionally danced in 80 years.

VICTORIA Forth might have just turned 103 but she is still young enough to curtsy as she enters a room.

The former ballerina celebrated her milestone birthday on Thursday and was treated to a party with friends and carers at Anglicare’s Robina Respite Centre on Friday.

During the morning tea party for Mrs Forth, who still lives alone, paraded slowly around the room with her walker, but boasted she could still kick her leg high if she wanted to.

Victoria Forth celebrating her 103rd birthday at the Anglicare Southern Queensland's Robina Respite Centre. Picture: Jerad Williams

One of her carers, Anglicare lifestyle assistant Kathleen Kirkpatrick, chimed in: “Last time she did that she fell over.”

But according to Mrs Forth, movement is the secret to living a long life.

“It’s doing something to keep you on the move,” she said. “My doctors, six of them, (ask) ‘what do you put it down to’ and (I say) ‘well, doing something, move, do some work and keep going’.”

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Photos of a young Victoria when she was a professional ballet dancer. Picture: Jerad Williams

Mrs Forth was born in Cornwall in the UK in 1917 before emigrating to New Zealand with her family.

She was a tiny child and a doctor’s advice for physical development was to exercise at a Russian-run dance studio in Auckland, so she took up ballet at age 6.

Soon after, she arrived in Australia and joined the Helene Kirsova School of Russian Ballet, and later became a member of the Australian British Ballet Organisation.

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Victoria’s secret to a long life is to ‘move’. Picture: Jerad Williams

In 1937, when she was 20, she posed for the cover of a highly-regarded magazine, The Dancer.

Mrs Forth’s career was cut short when, at 24, she married her late husband Alphonsus in 1942.

Her career in professional dance was also a casualty of World War II, which shut down the arts sector.

It is not clear when Mrs Forth moved to the Gold Coast but she has been attending Anglicare at Robina since it opened about 20 years ago.

“She’s been a regular. She’s involved with the art group, craft group and still goes on all the outings,” Mrs Kirkpatrick said.

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Victoria Forth showing off her 103rd birthday card. Picture: Jerad Williams

“She’s so enthusiastic. She thinks everybody could be up and moving if they just put their mind to it. That’s what she says – that they don’t try hard enough.

“She’s got so much zest for life still. Every time she comes, she wants to get stuck into it. If we sit around at morning tea for too long, she starts getting up and clearing up the dishes so we can get on with the craft.’’

Mrs Forth lives in a flat next door to her family. She has two children and two grandchildren who are said to have inherited her talents.