Yvonne Austin’s driver's licence might be faded, but she continues to shine bright.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
You couldn’t wipe the smile off Yvonne’s face as she celebrated 100 years of what she calls a “lovely, beautiful, wonderful” life.
“One hundred years is a big achievement,” she said.
“I take each day as it comes. Every morning I wake up, it’s an honour.”
A sea of cards now fills her unit, including letters from King Charles III, local dignitaries, friends and members of the community.
She celebrated the milestone with family followed by a party hosted by the Shepparton Senior Citizens Club on Tuesday, June 16.
Even at 100, Yvonne still enjoys getting out and about and catching up with friends.
“I don’t drive any more, but I still hold my licence. It’s probably run out, but I haven’t,” she said with a laugh.
One recent trip to the bank with her son Andrew produced a story that still makes her smile.
“I showed my driver’s licence and the worker said, ‘Oh, but that’s faded.’ Andrew picked it up straight away. He said, ‘You take a look at that lady — has she faded?’”
Shepparton’s newest centenarian was born in Cohuna on June 10, 1926.
Her parents owned a farm but packed up in 1936 to move to Melbourne.
“I left school at 15 and got myself a job working for a dressmaking company, learning the trade of making dresses,” Yvonne said.
“I made all my own dresses and things when I was younger.”
Yvonne worked as a seamstress until she married Stan Jobling in 1948.
Stan served in Borneo during World War II, and the couple lived at the Yarroweyah Soldier Settlement while their farm was being built.
They had two sons, Andrew and Vernon.
Sadly, Stan passed away, and their sons eventually took over the farm.
Yvonne moved to Shepparton when she remarried and has lived there ever since.
“Shepparton is home now,” she said.
Even at 100, Yvonne is living independently in her own unit.
She is involved with the Legacy War Widows, who offer her additional support when needed.
Yvonne is also a life member of the Shepparton Senior Citizens Club.
She said the club was a good way to “get out and about, meeting other people and getting a bit of entertainment”.
Throughout her 100 years, Yvonne has rarely sat still.
Music, travel, golf and dancing have played an important part in her life.
“Mum wanted me to become a music teacher, and I didn’t, did I?” Yvonne said.
“But I learned the violin and the piano.”
Arthritis has made it difficult to play these days.
“Sometimes I have a bang on the organ and knock up a tune or two,” Yvonne said.
Travel also became a lifelong passion.
“I’ve been everywhere,” she said, with a grin.
“I travelled quite a bit across Australia, I went up the centre to Uluru and walked around it.
“It was the long way around, but of course, I was younger then.”
Yvonne said she loved travelling with Cardwell’s Coach & International Travel, a local bus tour company.
“I’ve been to Darwin, Western Australia, to the wildflowers, been down to Tassie, been down to New Zealand, Norfolk Island,” she said.
“It broadens your mind to see how other people live.”
She was a keen golfer, spending two days a week at Cosgrove Golf Club.
“I wasn’t too bad,” she said.
“I had some good days out on the golf course.”
The sport took her all over Victoria for competitions, while old-time dancing brought another unexpected reward.
“That’s where I met my second husband, on the dance floor.”
Fittingly, Yvonne's advice for a long and happy life is simple.
“Enjoy yourself,” she said.
“That's about it.”