Braemar Residents Really Are Best Friends Forever

When it comes to promising to be ‘Best Friends Forever’, Braemar Presbyterian Care residents Bonnie Edgar and Lil Bond are in a strong position to give advice.

99-year-old Bonnie and 98-year-old Lil have been best friends since they were six years old, after meeting at East Fremantle Primary School.

The bosom buddies have been inseparable ever since, and now live just down the corridor from each other at Braemar’s Cooinda residential aged care home in Melville.

The pair was inseparable as teenagers and would go swimming together, play tennis and regularly go out to dances before both starting work at a shoe company called Ezywalkins, which was located opposite Fremantle town hall at the time.  Bonnie was the cashier and Lil was responsible for selling shoes to customers.

“We had great times together on holiday, at dances and also working together, says Bonnie, who was born on 4 December 1918.

“We have so many memories and have always been there for each other in good times and in bad, I don’t think either of us could have imagined still being friends at 99 and 98 years old, it’s just wonderful to still have each other.”

“Bonnie has always been a little bit bossy, but we’ve never had a fight or an argument in the whole time we’ve been friends, which is 93 years now,” adds Lil.

“Because I’m still mobile, every night I walk the 50 metres down the corridor to say goodnight to Bon and each morning I check on my dear friend, we’re still very close and have a very special friendship.”

Chief Executive of Braemar Presbyterian Care, Wayne Belcher, says he and the staff at Cooinda were thrilled that Bonnie and Lil were able to live so close to each other at Braemar’s residential facility.

“Braemar’s ethos is all about care and friendship, so the fact that we have two residents that have shared over 90 years of friendship is just incredible,” he says.

“Both Lil and Bonnie are extremely popular residents, they’ve both retained their senses of humour and love to spend time on trips down memory lane, reminiscing about their lives and in particular their younger years.

“Maintaining relationships with friends, as well as family, is incredibly important to healthy and positive ageing, so perhaps the foundation of their friendship is one of the reasons why both Bonnie and Lil are almost within reach of celebrating their centenaries.

“We certainly wish them many more happy times ahead, and there will be a very big party here when Bonnie reaches her 100^th birthday later this year.”

Find out more about Braemar Presbyterian Care.