BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!

This month we celebrate a lady who's lived through 99 extraordinary years — and still manages to outshine us all with her cheeky table tennis skills, and her memory, her style at our monthly dinners.

Born in Rockhampton — a place she still holds close to her heart — Joan has seen Australia evolve from meat safes, backyard 'dunnies' and incinerators to smart fridges and flushing indoor toilets. She's lived through the rise of television, the fall of telegrams, the replacement of pounds shillings and pence with decimal currency, the invention of the Hills Hoist and the golden age of backyard cricket.

Joan ran a successful business with grit and grace, swam like a champion, danced with elegance and rhythm, painted seascapes that could sooth the soul, and played table tennis with a competitive streak that made us all step up our game.

Let's not forget her legendary line to her husband when he retired from the army. "You're not in the army any more — and I'm not taking orders!" That's not just a quote - that's a philosophy.

Even now, Joan drives herself around Redcliffe, remembers every conversation and follows up with genuine care. Stylish, thoughtful and sharp as ever - she had lived through nearly a century or change and she' handled it all with grace and grit.

Speaking of grit, let me tell you about the time, just a couple of years ago, when she slipped down the long flight of stairs in her townhouse. In the dark, bleeding from the head and battered, she didn't panic. She didn't call the ambulance. No, she walked herself to the Redcliffe Hospital. When I asked her about it, she said, "Well at least the stairs were carpeted." That's optimism. That's resilience. That's Joan. She did, eventually, let them drive her home from hospital — which we consider a rare concession.

Happy Birthday, Joan!