Box Hill Resident Riding High at 106

At 106, Betty Kerr is among the oldest centenarians in the country, and could well be the oldest resident in the Victorian suburb of Box Hill where she currently lives.

The mother of two, grandmother of three and great grandmother of five just celebrated her milestone birthday on 18 August at BlueCross Box Hill aged care residence, which has been her home since March 2021. Prior to that, Betty has been living independently on her own, leading an active life which included supervised workouts at the local gym.

While current COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria have prevented her from having a big party for her birthday, Betty was not the least bit perturbed.

“We’re living in a very different world these days. I stay safe by keeping away from the crowd so I’m happy not to have any big parties,” said Betty with good spirits.

Her family and staff at her aged care residence, however, were not about to let Betty’s big day go without a bang. Her daughter Sue put out an appeal on social media for people to send birthday cards to her mum. Betty has since received over 100 cards from kind-hearted strangers and the numbers are still counting. In a similar appeal last year, Betty received a total of 501 birthday cards!

“Marketing is my business and I just put what I know into good use,” said Sue.

Staff at BlueCross Box Hill had some exciting plans up their sleeves too for their oldest resident. The lifestyle, catering and care teams all rallied together to create a memorable birthday for Betty from sun-up. Staff had the whole dining and lounge areas decorated with balloons, signs and banners, and also hosted an afternoon tea party for Betty with other residents.

Betty was obviously delighted with the attention and pampering from everyone. She said, “I was flattered that everyone is thinking about me!”

Her daughter Sue was equally impressed. “What a fantastic display of care from all the staff members. The venue looks beautifully decorated and everyone is as happy as Mum.”

Born in 1915, Betty grew up in Sydney next to the Royal Randwick racecourse which had had a profound influence on her. She loves horses – not just riding them in her younger days but also betting on them! She still enjoys a punt now and then and will happily share with staff the horses she is betting on the day.

The spunky centenarian also flew gliders and served in the Air Force during World War II. She retired from military service when she started a family.

Now a resident at BlueCross Box Hill, Betty enjoys her day chatting with other residents and joining in the many leisure and lifestyle activities at the home, particularly Bingo which is her favourite.

For someone who has celebrated her birthday more than a hundred times, Betty said she didn’t feel any different this year or has any special birthday wish.

“I’ve enjoyed my life and I’m having a good time. I’ve never regretted anything,” said Betty.

“I think I’ve done everything I ever wanted to do. I’ve seen everything, travelled the world, climbed mountains, flown planes and paraglided,” she continued. “I haven’t got anything to wish for because I have everything I need. Instead, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas ahead and a happy new year.”

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Pictured: Betty Kerr with her daughter Sue