Ozcare Magdalene Villa Trebonne residents mark 100-year birthdays
Three Hinchinbrook residents celebrated their respective 100th, 101st and 102nd birthdays in the same tiny NQ town on the same day.
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In the most improbable of circumstances, three Australians have celebrated their respective 100th, 101st and 102nd birthdays in the same tiny North Queensland town on the same day.
Henry Lyon is notching up a ton on March 13 and at the age of 100 will be the baby of the group, all of Italian heritage and all residents of Ozcare Magdalene Villa Trebonne near Ingham.
Along with Giuseppina “Joyce” Di Giacomo, turning 101 on Friday, and Elsa Tanto, notching up 102 years on March 27, the trio all credit hard work and remaining active as key to long and happy lives.
Mr Lyon, a keen outdoorsman in his prime, lost life-long partner Brenda just two years ago.
The couple have four children, nine grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren and six – and counting – great-great grandchildren.
Daughters Janelle Romano and Karen Balanzategui said their father was raised on a farm using only a horse to till fields and plant sugar-cane by hand.
Ms Romano said other than his family and owning his own cane farm in Bemerside, a highlight of his life had been building a three-deck, 34-foot long launch Sue-Jan, named after his daughters.
“He loved going fishing, he had some great times out there on the ocean.”
Mr Lyon, who is hard of hearing and speaks quietly, was keeping the secrets to the fountain of youth close to his chest but Mrs Balanzategui said her father had always “worked hard and played hard”.
“Yes,” Ms Romano agreed, “and they kept themselves going by not staying at home and being active, that is the key”.
Mrs Balanzategui said the European pioneers of the district “weren’t raised on fast-food of anything like that, they were pretty resilient”.
Joyce Di Giacomo, also born in Macknade, agreed.
“Hard work, hard lives, early,” she said, adding that she was also raised planting cane in the fields.
Asked if she had any advice for Mr Lyon in cracking the 101 barrier, she laughed.
“I think he already knows.”
Son Peter Farinola said his mother, born to Sicilian immigrants, had lived a rich life and witnessed an explosion of new and wonderful technology, including the motor car.
Ms Di Giacomo said she had no interest in computers or mobile phones.
“Not at my age,” she laughed, “I was born too early.”
Mrs Tanto only stopped driving at the age of 96, to her great displeasure.
Son Lawrence said he had no doubt the Italian immigrant, who arrived in Halifax to join her father when she was 10, would make 103.
“No worries at all: Look at her, she’s going well.”
Daughter-in-law Candy said Mrs Tanto was just like Mr Lyon, Mrs Di Giacomo and other immigrant families.
“Like all the Italians that came, they just worked on the farms from an early age … her father and brothers were all interred during (WWII) so the women kept the farms going,” she said.
“She was not one to stay home and do nothing, she always had that go … you have to have good health as well, but she was never one to stay idle – she worked hard but enjoyed life with it.”
A senior rest home staff member said the coincidence was “incredible”.
“This is something that we will never see again, this is history.”
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Originally published as Ozcare Magdalene Villa Trebonne residents mark 100-year birthdays
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