By NARELLE COULTER
WHEN Mary Colquhoun celebrated her 100th birthday on 29 January there was one very important person missing – her identical twin sister Alice.
Born an hour apart in 1916, Mary and Alice spent 97 years together before Alice’s death in 2013.
“They were soulmates and she was very sad Alice wasn’t there to join the celebration with her,” said Mary’s son Bob Powell.
“When Alice died mum said she felt like she had lost her right arm.”
Mary celebrated her remarkable milestone with not one but two parties.
On 29 January she celebrated with her friends at the Outlook Gardens nursing home in Dandenong North.
And on Sunday 31 January Mary was joined by more than 100 family and friends for a second celebration at the Dandenong Club.
In his speech, manager of the Dandenong Club Charlie Daly, whose father went to school with Mary at Archies Creek, remarked that Mary had the distinction of being the club’s oldest card carrying member.
She still pops into the Dandenong Club occasionally for dinner.
Another good friend, councillor Angela Long, spoke of their shared passion for bingo and how Mary and Alice are immortalised in the centenary mural which hangs in the council offices near the library.
The most heartfelt tribute came from grandson Justin Colquhoun.
“Justin was glowing in his affection for Grandma Mary. He said that no matter what they did she never got cross and was always good at giving cuddles,” Bob said.
Mary has five grand-children and seven great-grandchildren.
Also present was a representative of the Victorian Multiple Birth Association.
Mary and Alice were born at Wonthaggi to Elizabeth and Robert Suckling.
In her memoir, written when she was 96, Mary reminisced about growing up in a large rural family.
“When we arrived there were already eight children in the family and another son was born five years later in 1921, which made 11 children – six boys and five girls.
“Looking back over 96 years, I still believe that even though we were such a large family we did have a fairly happy childhood.
“Our parents experienced the disruption of the Great War of 1914-1918 and the Depression years and had to battle for survival all their married life and, yes, we were poor but we never went hungry.
“Mum could make a meal out of so little. I don’t think that our family noticed the Depression much as we had been on the poverty line for years.
“We seldom had new clothes and there were good second-hand clothing shops in Wonthaggi.
“I do know that we all felt loved and were thoroughly spoilt, I’ll admit that.”
Mary fell in love with Bert Powell and the couple married on 1935 and moved to Bass to manage a farm.
Their son Robert was born on 3 November. Tragically Bert died of tuberculosis before the couple could celebrate their first wedding anniversary.
By the time war broke out in 1939 Mary had become friendly with John Colquhoun who worked on her father-in-law’s farm.
John (Jack) was called up by the Army and the couple married on the 16 July 1940, just before he left for overseas. Mary had a second son, John, on 4 November 1944.
After the war, Jack and Mary share-farmed on three farms in the Gippsland area and owned 15 acres in Woolamai.
Jack worked for the Wonthaggi Council and in Dandenong for the Westminster Carpet Factory.
In 1956 the family moved to Dandenong.
“We bought a small home at 143 Cleeland Street and an old Chevy car first and then later a Holden.
“Money was tight so I went to work in the fruit shop in Cleeland Street just a few doors from home.
“I was there for three years. It was tiring work lifting heavy boxes of fruit and vegetables.
“Then I spent the next three years at the Dandenong Hospital where I worked as a cleaner washing the floors throughout the nurses’ quarters.”
The couple eventually sold Cleeland Street and bought a brick veneer house in May Court, Dandenong.
Mary later worked for the council in its home help program.
Jack and second son John both died in 2003.
“She has lost two husbands and son. All her siblings and their partners have gone. She is the only one left,” said Bob.
“However, she just keeps saying ‘I am so lucky’.”
