Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Recently I had the honour of taking flowers to Yeppoon resident Mrs Joan Giles. Joan turned 100 years old on 11 March. To mark her 100th birthday she received messages from the Prime Minister and the Queen.

Joan is a delightful centenarian with an amazing memory and a life full of stories. Joan Giles was born in Cootamundra, New South Wales, on 11 March 1916. When Joan was born it was the height of World War I and Billy Hughes was the Prime Minister of Australia. Australia's population was about 4.9 million and one of the most popular songs was Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula, or the Hawaiian Love Song.

Joan left school aged 14. Many years later she married her husband, Len, who sadly passed away 21 years ago. In their early days the couple moved to Queensland and owned farms in the Biloela and Jambin districts. Joan remembers the onset of World War II and she ran the family farm with her children while her husband was at war. At one time the family had 8,000 chickens on their farm and supplied the famous Orion Cafe in Rockhampton with 400 chickens a week in the 1960s.

In 1966, when Joan reached the half-century mark and turned 50, Harold Holt was the Prime Minister of Australia. Australia's population was about 11.9 million. Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Are Made for Walking was topping the music charts, along with the Beatles, and our pounds and shillings were replaced by decimal currency made up of dollars and cents.

Joan moved to Yeppoon on the Capricorn Coast in November 1970 and still lives there today. Joan has four children: Elizabeth, sadly deceased; Brian; Janette; and Richard. Interestingly, now that Joan has turned 100—in March 2016, marking a full century—Malcolm Turnbull is our Prime Minister and our population is about 24 million people. One of the number one songs is 1955 by the Hilltop Hoods and the iPhone 7 is on its way. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more Australians than ever are reaching the century milestone. The ABS say, judging from recent figures, they expect more than 4,440 Australians to turn 100 in the near future. Happy birthday, Joan, and happy birthday to all centenarians in Australia this year.

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