Mother’s Day a Time to Celebrate at Mercy Place Mandurah

Great, great grandmother and born and bred West Australian Hazel Perry will be spending Mothers’ Day in good company. This year, 94-year-old Hazel will be celebrating motherhood along with members of her family – COVID restrictions permitting – who include her seven children, 31 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and six great, great-grandchildren.

The Mercy Place Mandurah resident, who grew up Fremantle, is very much the matriarch of her large family who she brought up in the small town of Coolgardie before moving to Kalgoorlie, ‘literally taking the house with them’ on a back of a truck, according to Hazel.

Today, her entire family members number 108, and Hazel is proud of the fact that she gave each family member a birthday and Christmas present every year, right up until she moved into the not-for-profit aged-care home a year ago.

According to Hazel, the best thing about being a mum has been watching her own children grow, as well as her grandchildren and the two proceeding generations.

“There have been some wonderful and fun memories over the years,” she says.  “There was the time we were living in Coolgardie and I took the kids to the circus at the end of the street.  We went over to see the elephant, but the kids were really scared of him so we left, but the elephant actually followed us home,” she laughs.

Mercy Place Mandurah Service Manager, Simone Baxter, says staff will be holding a special Mothers’ Day celebration on Sunday 9 May for all the mums at Mercy Place Mandurah.

“Mothers’ Day is a wonderful opportunity for us to recognise the special bond between mums and their children, and also to recognise the selfless dedication, love and care they have for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and in Hazel’s case, great-great-grandchildren,” she says.

“There are many incredible women like Hazel at Mercy Place Mandurah who have led full and interesting lives, and Sunday 9 May is an opportunity for us to recognise them and to celebrate Mothers’ Day together.”

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