100 guests for Norma's 100th

by Nick Rowe
Warragul resident Norma Wilson celebrated her 100th birthday at Warragul Uniting Church on Saturday, with close to 100 family and friends.
Before the celebration, a friend played some of Norma's favourite pieces at an organ recital at Wesley of Warragul.
Norma was born at Bendigo Hospital on August 21, 1926, to Walter and Marion Okey. Her father worked for the railways and the family moved to Oakleigh when Norma was 18 months old.
Norma attended Oakleigh State School and East Oakleigh Central School before leaving after grade eight to study at Melbourne Technical College - which later became known as RMIT.
She followed her father into the railways, but married women were not permitted to continue working.
"I had to retire," Norma said.
Norma met her husband Kent through a church young people's group at Chelsea when she was a teenager. They married at Oakleigh Methodist Church on November 6, 1948.
They had four children – Margaret, Carol, Beth and John – and Norma has six grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
The couple began married life in Noble Park before moving to Kent's father's farm at Longwarry North.
"I didn't like farming for a start," Norma said.
Without a car, Norma found the move difficult and had to learn how to milk a cow.
"I was isolated," she said.
The family later lived briefly at Newborough, where coal dust from the nearby briquette factory covered their new home. "Everything was black," Norma recalled.
They then spent six years at Yallourn. "It was a nice house down in the town, so we could walk everywhere," she said.
Kent's work with the State Electricity Commission brought the family to Warragul in 1961.
Two days after arriving, Norma heard the church was performing Handel's Messiah.
"I used to sing the Messiah every year, and I said, 'I'm going'," she recalled.
It began a long involvement in Warragul's church and musical life. Norma played the piano, sang in choirs and organised concerts featuring theatre organists from Australia and overseas.
Kent later served on Warragul Shire Council and he and Norma became a driving force behind saving and refurbishing Wesley Church.
Norma described the preservation work as a team effort, inspired in part by seeing churches restored during an overseas trip. The former Methodist church, built in 1888, was bought by the Warragul Heritage Preservation Association in 2002 and developed as Wesley of Warragul.
Kent and Norma also instrumental were in bringing an historic Wurlitzer pipe organ to the venue.
Kent died in 2005 after 57 years of marriage, but Norma continued their work and helped bring their shared dream to completion.
Norma remains connected with Probus and the Friends of the Cemetery. She stopped driving at 92 and receives assistance through My Aged Care, but is determined to continue to live independently. "This is my home," she said.
When asked what had contributed to her long life, Norma credited modern medicine, her family and friendships with people of different ages.
"I think part of it is that I have always mixed with younger people," she said.
When asked if she was excited at the prospect of her birthday party on Friday she said she was looking forward to it. "I'm overwhelmed," she said.