AS believers celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ today and Brisbane archdiocese celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, 104-year-old Georgina Sheedy, of Ipswich, said there’s no “special formula” for her longevity, she “simply lives”.
Having lived about 80 years in the same home, close to St Mary’s Church, Ipswich, and celebrated 104 Easters, including today, Georgina is grateful for the gift of family and good health.
She has 17 grandchildren and last November, welcomed baby Isobel in Rockhampton, her first great grandchild, “taking the train” to meet her.
Georgina and husband Patrick, who died 38 years ago, had four children, one of whom died from a “slight stroke”.
“That was hard to take,” the sprightly woman of faith said.
“It’s awful when your son goes ahead of you.”
Her other children live in Rockhampton, Dalby and Kingaroy.
Known as “Gina”, she admitted her “old friends have passed away” with the exception of a neighbour in her eighties who visits often.
With “only a few aches and pains”, Georgina is the longest surviving boarder of Lourdes Hill College, where she attended for three years in her teens.
“I still keep in touch with the nuns,” she said of the connection to the college.
While Georgina’s Easter celebrations today will be on the “quieter scale”, her 105th birthday next February is promising to be significant.
“They tell me they’re going to have a big bash for the next one,” she said.
