Stella Urwin raised a glass of beer to acknowledge her 100th birthday while being mindful of social distancing guidelines.
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It almost seems unfair that this remarkable woman with a great attitude to life was unable to enjoy her milestone with a wider group of people.
Legally blind, Stella moved to Maryknoll at St Agnes' site in Lochinvar Place 18 months ago.
She considers herself to be very fortunate.
Born in Bendemeer, near Tamworth, on March 12, 1920 to Eve and Arnold Osborne, Stella had one older brother Blair (deceased), who was five years her senior.
She lived on her parents' rural property until she was 21 when she married Bill Weir - a 2TM radio announcer - and moved to Tamworth around 1941.
"I had to wait a while to marry Bill because it was wartime," she said.
"The wedding was postponed a couple of times but when we eventually married, we managed to rent house in Tamworth, which was wonderful.
"In those days married women did not have a career as such, so I worked in our home as a housewife - that's the way it was then."
With the arrival of World War II, Bill joined the army and was stationed in Sydney, so Stella relocated to Bondi.
When the war ended, things were in short supply. Rather than return to Tamworth the couple stayed in Sydney, where Bill found work at 2CH radio station.
In 1947, at the age of 27, Stella had her only child, a boy, Greg who is now 72 years of age and living in Western Australia.
"The most exciting thing for me at that time was when we managed to buy our own home at Five Dock, right on the water, in about 1950," says Stella.
It was just heaven. We lived there the rest of our adult lives.
- Stella Urwin
"It was just heaven. We lived there the rest of our adult lives."
But tragedy struck and in 1977 Bill passed away when Stella was just 57.
She remained in Sydney for 15 years after his death, moving to Port Macquarie around 1982 when she was 72.
"I chose Port Macquarie because we had been holidaying and calling in there for many years and it had always appealed to me," Stella said.
"This is where I met and married my second husband Odin Urwin, who passed away seven years ago.
"We had wonderful 20 years together - it was one of the best times in my life - he was a real gem."
Stella was driving right up until she was 97 when her eyesight began to deteriorate due to macular degeneration.
"I'd always been an outdoors person - I used to play tennis and golf and go walking, especially in the early morning," she said.
"But all that became difficult when I lost my sight due to macular degeneration so 18 months ago I made the decision to move to Maryknoll."
It's a decision that has proven to be a good one for Stella.
"I am really happy at Maryknoll; I am well taken care of; and the staff are very kind and good.
"What I enjoy most about living here is the way I am being treated."
When asked the secret to her longevity Stella laughs and says, "I wish I knew... if I did I'd bottle it!"
Even though I have had ups and downs in life, I consider myself to be very lucky.
- Stella Urwin
"Even though I have had ups and downs in life, I consider myself to be very lucky."
Stella celebrated reaching her milestone 100 year on March 12 with a few family and friends at a morning tea catered for by the St Agnes Parish Food Services' Marion Centre.
Mindful of social distancing and the Coronavirus restrictions, she had a celebration of a different kind last week during Maryknoll happy hour with a cake donated by Bels Bakery.
"While I am missing the visits of my friends, I am grateful for what I have and hope everyone stays safe," Stella added.
Stella has two grandchildren, two great grandchildren and one great, great grandchild, Billy, who is 2 1/2 years old.
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