Bev Lyon celebrates her 90th birthday

Bev Lyon has spent the past few weeks 'living it up' with numerous gatherings celebrating 90 years of life well lived.
Bev Lyon (nee Davey) was born to Joe and Fairlie Davey in Drouin on July 11, 1936 in a small private hospital in Young St, Drouin.
Bev loves to recall her wonderful, carefree childhood growing up on her parents' dairy farm in Weebar Rd.
With her four siblings, Noela, Graeme, Glenys and Faye, they would explore the open paddocks that surrounded their home including visiting the working Draught horses in the back paddocks of the Drouin Butter factory and saving wayward kittens from the woodpiles.
Bev fondly remembers the antics of the two and a half miles walk to Drouin Primary School every morning, rain, hail or shine and the freedom of an uncomplicated childhood.
"I loved school. I loved to learn so there was never a doubt I wouldn't be up and ready on a school day. We would join up at the end of our long driveway with Keith Maddocks, the Burrows kids and the Close kid and head off on our long walk to school. I was so tiny and my stride so short, I reckon I walked twice as far as everyone else. Maybe that's why I became such a good runner?"
"The eight of us kids would draw on the road, play games, sing songs, jump in the icy puddles and have a grand old time. The years during the threat of war created such opportunities for naïve little imaginative minds, when trenches were dug in the school yard, should we have a raid, gosh we had fun playing in those dugouts completely unaware of the seriousness of the issue."
Bev met the love of her life Bill Lyon at the popular local dances in 1955.
They married and built a life faming in Lyons Rd Heath Hill for all of their married life. Bev lost her darling Bill three years ago and now resides in Lyrebird Village, Drouin.
The nonagenarian now spends most of her time reading and writing, a passion of a lifetime, and has fond memories of friendships formed in those early years in Drouin.
"Drouin was a wonderful community back then and I imagine still is, we looked out for each other and knew via the grapevine if someone needed help. I'm very lucky to have lived my whole life in this district, to still be able to see some of my old schoolfriends and my extended family on a regular basis. Life has been good to me…I wonder what's next?"