Bairnsdale Parklands Community Care resident, Dulcie O’Keeffe, celebrated an impressive milestone last week, turning 100
years old.
Dulcie commemorated the special day with family who travelled from the Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne and Tasmania, enjoying tea cake and fruit.
Dulcie O’Keeffe was born at Latrobe Tasmania on November 20, 1925.
She is the youngest child of her family and the only one to celebrate her
100th birthday.
She spent her early years including her school days at Liydale in Victoria, until her family moved to live at Camberwell.
She is a very stoic, independent and strong-willed lady who will face any challenge that comes before her.
She also loves the excitement of an adventure.
In the 1930s when she was a young teenager holidaying on a farm with an aunt in the Western District, she managed to take a joy flight in a (now vintage), Tiger Moth Airplane (all unbeknown to her parents).
She often recounts the thrill of that flight.
Dulcie commenced her nursing training in early 1941 at St Benedicts (which is now Cabrini Hospital), finishing her training at the Mercy Hospital in
East Melbourne.
She continued nursing until she married her beloved husband Michael (Mick) in 1948 and started a family.
They had three children together, two girls and
one boy.
Dulcie returned to her nursing career once her children were more independent.
Both Dulcie and Michael (a school teacher), worked very hard to build their two storey family home in Chelsea.
Upon their retirement they decided to take up sailing.
Having made a number of trips to Paynesville they eventually bought a holiday home at Eagle Point which they decided to make their permanent home in 2006.
Fast forward to today, and Dulcie remains a devoted mother, grandmother and great grandmother.
She has five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
She loves all of her family and is always enquiring after them and celebrates any achievement or success they may have.
Dulcie lived independently in her home in Paynesville until she was 96.
She is now a resident at Bairnsdale Parklands Community Care where she is looked after by the kind and caring staff there.
