Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On Friday 25 October an extraordinary event took place in my electorate of Swan when Australia's oldest living identical twins, Flora Maude Barrett of Victoria Park and Winifred Joyce Hopes of Lathlain, turned 100. To give the House some idea of the rarity of this event, there are fewer than 20 cases around the world of identical twins living older than 100. After some exhaustive inquiries with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Parliamentary Library and the Office of the Governor-General, I can advise the House that there has been only one other case previously of identical twins turning 100 in Australia, when Jean and Doris Clarke turned 100 in a nursing home at Taigum in the electorate of Lilley, in 2010. Sadly, both ladies passed away within a day of each other. The oldest living twins in the world are Edith Ritchie and Evelyn Middleton, of the UK, at 104 years and four days. The record for the oldest twins of all time is held by Kin Narita and Gin Kanie of Japan, who reached 107 years and 175 days in 2000.

I was pleased to be able to join the family for celebrations in the morning at Flora's house in Victoria Park. It should be noted that both ladies live independently at their respective homes in Victoria Park and Lathlain. When asked what advice they would give others hoping to live as long, they replied: 'Don't drink, don't smoke and don't go out with bad men.' I hope the House will join me in wishing Flora and Winifred all the very best and I hope they have many more healthy years ahead of them. With the health they are in, maybe they can go for the all-time record.

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