Life’s a Dance for Rockingham Centenarian Marjory Watson

Belly-dancing and belly laughs both feature in 100-year-old Marjory Watson’s recipe for loving life well into her senior years. The spritely centenarian from Baptistcare Gracehaven Residential Care in Rockingham took up belly-dancing in her 50s after her beloved husband, best friend and ballroom dancing partner Forbes Watson passed away.

Unable to bear the thought of dancing with another partner, Mrs Watson swapped the waltz and the foxtrot for traditional Middle Eastern shimmies and hip slides, attending classes well into her 80s.

Dancing has been a life-long passion for Scottish-born Mrs Watson who, as a girl, shared the same dance teacher as Queen Elizabeth II. She even got to dance for the British monarch during a Scottish dance performance when the Queen was just 11 or 12 years old. 

In honour of Mrs Watson’s Scottish roots, Baptistcare Gracehaven organised for a bagpiper to make a surprise appearance as part of the milestone birthday celebrations.

Musically-minded Mrs Watson, who plays accordion, piano and organ, is also well-known among her Baptistcare family for her fun sense of humour.

Residents and staff say the former Peppermint Grove Church organist laughs a lot and is always ready with a joke.

Mrs Watson arrived in Perth in 1971 from Scotland after she and her late husband decided to follow their only son and start a new life in Australia. Their fourth grandson was the first baby born at Rockingham General Hospital.

Brought up by her grandparents after her mother died shortly after giving birth, Mrs Watson left school at the age of 15 and started work at the local bakery where she met her husband-to-be.

After the newly-weds moved to Dundee, Mrs Watson started work for electrical engineering and equipment firm Ferranti where she became skilled at building circuit boards and transformers. Ferranti is credited with developing, in 1951, the first general-purpose, commercially available computer.

Mrs Watson still has the letter of reference from the former computer giant that helped her transfer her skills and experience to Australia.

Mrs Watson’s friends and family, including grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, joined in the fun-loving senior’s 100^th birthday celebrations.

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