Better Than Bradman: Sarah Esplin

Always make sure you can help. Whether it is putting a smile on someone's face, hemming pants or sewing on a button. That's the advice of 104-year-old Uniting Farmborough resident Sarah Esplin.

Born in Yorkshire, England in 1916, Sarah made sure to dedicate her life to helping others and spent many of her formative years serving in the armed forces during World War 2. She mostly helped in  the officer's mess during the war and always made sure that she knew all the soldiers' names.

This habit of hers eventually lead her to meet a man named Clifford. Clifford fought on the Western Front during the war and was taken as a prisoner of war. When Sarah heard the news, she thought she would never see him again. Luckily, Clifford returned after the war and, within a few weeks, married Sarah and they moved to Redcar, England.

After having 3 children and spending a few years in Redcar, Sarah and the family decided to migrate to Wollongong in 1964. In Australia, Sarah started volunteering with Legacy, a charity dedicated to providing services to Australian families suffering after the injury or death of a spouse or parent, during or after their defence force service. A highlight of her time with Legacy was when she held the Olympic torch in 2000 during a leg of the tour.

Nowadays at Uniting Farmborough Sarah enjoys weekly Church Services, Sing-a-longs, afternoon teas with friends, sitting in a sunny courtyard and playing Bingo. Pre-COVID, Sarah really enjoyed children visiting the home, interacting with visiting Japanese students and musical concerts held in the Home. Infamously, in 2013 Sarah posed as Sandy from Grease for a Wollongong Council Seniors Week Exhibition.

Sarah continues to bring happiness to the facility whether she's giving chocolates or advice to her carers and is has loved sharing her birthday afternoon tea on 19 August with her friends and carers at Uniting Farmborough. Happy 104^th Birthday Sarah!

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