Celia Malcolm vowed not to let the pandemic restrictions dampen her 100th birthday celebrations, despite her family not being there due to border closures.

The regional South Australian aged resident, born on August 17, 1921, glowed with pride and joy at Boandik St Mary’s aged care facility, sporting a fresh haircut to commemorate the special milestone yesterday.

Despite her Victorian-based family not being able to travel interstate to Mount Gambier due to lockdowns and border restrictions, Celia said she was pampered by staff at the facility.

“My family were all prepared to come over, right up until the last three weeks. It’s been hard but with technology we’ve been able to keep it touch a bit,” Celia said.

“I’m very fortunate to be able to enjoy it.”

Celia says she has been spoiled with presents for her birthday.(

ABC South East SA: Grace Whiteside

)

Celia said living through a pandemic just came with the territory when you are 100 years old.

“I heard someone say the other day that a pandemic will happen every 100 years,” she said.

Spice of life

The new centenarian reflected on a life filled with different experiences and adventures on her milestone birthday — with one phrase coming to mind.

“Variety is the spice of life,” she said.

Balloons set up for Celia Malcolm’s 100 birthday at Boandik.(

ABC South East SA: Grace Whiteside

)

Not flustered by the events that shaped the world, it was her own humble life that she forged that filled her with many memories.

“I had a variety of different jobs. I worked at a furniture store, at a kindergarten for the deaf in Melbourne, and I was in a newsagency for a while,” Celia said.

“I didn’t smoke, I didn’t drink, I just didn’t care for that sort of thing.”

Boandik resident Celia Malcolm celebrates her milestone without family, but is pampered by aged care staff.(

ABC South East SA: Grace Whiteside

)

And Celia cast her mind back to the earliest of those memories.

“I think my grandparents had been to the show and they bought this balloon, and I got the balloon,” she said.

“I remember being out the front gate looking around holding this balloon and next thing I’ve lost my balloon and it’s way up in the air.

“That upset me, losing my balloon.”

Bouncing back

Fast forward nearly nine decades and there was a time where Celia thought she would never reach the milestone.

Celia says it is fantastic to reach 100 years.(

ABC South East SA: Grace Whiteside

)

“I went to my sibling’s birthday in Melbourne and on the way across I felt a bit strange,” she said.

“I got to the birthday on the Sunday, but on Monday morning I was in the hospital.

“I’ve never been sick like that … it left me very miserable.”

It was 2013, and Celia was moved to Boandik St Mary’s aged care facility,

“It took me a while to pick up after that. But when I did pick up they couldn’t stop me, they said,” Celia quipped.

Asked what the secret was to live through to the 100-year milestone, Celia’s answer was simple.

“My father was a month off 100, my mother was 96, so that’s the only thing I can think of. I’ve got it in the genes.”