105 of the best

By Melissa Meehan
MARY Stone says the secret to long and healthy life is not to drink or smoke.
She would know, she celebrates her 105th birthday today (Thursday).
Born in 1904, Ms Stone has seen many things change in front of her.
She was born in Albury, NSW and moved to Caulfield with her husband to start a business, and then moved to Dandenong where she has lived since 1948.
She raised one daughter and calls her “my best friend”.
It is hard to believe she is 105 years old.
She enjoys a laugh and gets by with a walking stick, and “doesn’t mind a chat”.
She loves Scotsvale Aged Care in Dandenong, where she moved earlier this year and has already made many friends.
“I’ve worked all my life,” she said. “And never had a drink or smoke. I guess that’s my secret.”
Ms Stone said that working hard was also important.
“I was a cleaner for 10 years,” she said. “But we never had electrical cleaners like they do now. We had a bucket and scrubbing brush,” she said with a chuckle.
Ms Stone was looking forward to celebrating the occasion with her daughter.