By Sahar Foladi
A soul who believes in kindness, always doing good and extending help to others – that’s how Dorothy Hudson has spent 100 years of her life.
She is set to turn 100 on 28 February with a large celebration of family and friends.
“I suppose you expected someone to be sitting like this,” Ms Hudson said as she imitated a foetal position followed by laughter.
Ms Hudson lives independently in her apartment at the Parkglen Community.
“I feel really fit. My legs are not good but other than that I keep good health.
“Now (my birthday) is just another day. I didn’t do anything special.”
Lively and still full of character, Ms Hudson lived in Coburg with her parents and her elder sister where they both attended school, which overlooked the infamous Pentridge prison.
“We’d see the prison vans come in, we’d all rush to the fence to watch the doors. They’d soon shut it up.”
The prison closed in 1997 followed by a residential renovation of part of the classified heritage site.
The males in her family served Australia in world wars. Her father Lindsey Collett served in World War I, her husband Joseph Hudson served in World War II and now her grandson Christopher Hudson is in the Australian navy.
During World War II, her family kept their doors open to army officers, who sometimes needed a place to stay. And that’s how she met her husband.
“My cousin brought him home in Coburg, they were in the air force together. Sometimes they had to have somewhere to stay overnight. When they went separate ways he’d still come home.
“You had to help them in those days. That was the army days.“
Mr Hudson was on the Consolidated PBY Catalina, a flying boat aircraft introduced in 1930s. It was among the widely used seaplanes of World War II.
“As soon as he’d come home he’d dump all his junk – as I used to call it – and come see me.
“I had a good life with him. He did everything he could possibly do for me, take me here and there,” Ms Hudson said after a long pause.
Much later, she visited one of her mates that used to stay at their house during World War II.
“He opened the door and he cried. I mean a man in his 90s, I suppose. He got a heck of shock to see me. It was the last person he expected to see,” she said as she imitated the scene.
The couple had a son named Keith, who passed away at the age of 50 to cancer.
Parkglen staff describe Ms Hudson as someone with ‘very strong demeanour.’
“To be able to live your life coping with what’s happened over 100 years to the stage she is now with wisdom and strength, everyone would want that.“
In her younger days Ms Hudson was a manager at the Block Arcade on Collins Street, Melbourne and used to take cash to the bank regularly.
After she moved to the Parkglen Community nine years ago, she recognised one of the women to be the bank lady, who is now no longer.
Ms Hudson did a lot of handwork and mastered tapestry which now hangs against the walls of her apartment.
“I used to do a lot of sewing and tapestry. I made all my cushions and jackets. I crocheted a lot of table cloths too.”
Contrary to that, she also enjoys bowling, motorbikes, Harley Davidson and goes on rides arranged by her grandson Christopher.
“She’s just a character. She’s got her wits, she’s kind and a great all-rounder,” Parkglen staff say.
She and her husband enjoyed bowling and won championships across City of Greater Dandenong a well as in Horsham.
They’ve obtained badges from Keysborough Bowls Club, which still stands today.
Despite some of the challenges and losses she’s been through, Ms Hudson still beams with the biggest smile.
“It’s nice to think you’ve done this and you’ve done that but life has to go on and you have to forget that, your past is gone.
“I’m still looking in the future not the past. I forgot about that now.“
