90 b'day candles for Coral

Hurtz family Matriarch has celebrated her milestone birthday among friends and family

90 YEARS YOUNG: Coral Hurtz celebrated 90 years with friends and family, including daughter Robyn and husband Don. Picture: Contributed

ANYONE from Liston would know the name Hurtz, after the family has been around for several decades.

Matriarch Coral Hurtz celebrated her 90th birthday with husband Don, their children, family and friends with a party held at the Liston Hall on Sunday, November 11.

People travelled from as far as the Hunter Valley, Grafton and Toowoomba to be there for the very special day.

Don said around 57 people helped her celebrate the special day.

"She had a monstrous cake,” he said.

"A good fun day was had by all, all the family were there.”

Coral was born in Warwick on November 8, 1928 but has lived in Liston for most of her life. She attended school in Cullendore before starting a family of her own.

After their meeting that "changed their lives”, she and Don married in September, 1949. They will celebrate 70 years of marriage next year.

"I used to do a lot of droving and rodeo,” Don said.

"Ray Smith, her father, was a great horseman and we used to go to rodeo, that's how we met.”

They have four children, Jill, Gary, Tony and Robyn, five grandchildren and six great grandchildren, who all adoringly call Coral 'Mummar'.

"The first grandchild, Nathan Hurtz, started (the nickname), he couldn't say grandma,” youngest daughter Robyn said.

Coral Hurtz and her niece Sam Ploughman at the party. Picture: Contributed

Coral and Don have lived on a property at Liston

since 1962, where they still enjoy breeding black angus cattle.

Coral spent most of her time as a stay-at-home mother, while Don worked for the Department of Agriculture on the state border.

"She was an excellent cook, she was an excellent mother and a very good wife,” he said.

When she wasn't at home looking after the kids, she was out playing tennis.

"She was a fairly good player,” Don said.

"We played Tenterfield, Killarney, nearly all around the place, weather permitting of course.”

He fondly remembers their time spent at the Liston Hall going to dances together.

"That's just life back then, we lived life as everyone did in those days,” he said.

"We went to the local dances, they used to have them every Friday night.”

Don, 93-years-old himself, hopes he and Coral still

have some more years together.

"Hopefully we'll get the letter from the Queen.”

Originally published as 90 b'day candles for Coral