Mother’s Day - A Family Affair at Mercy Place Mandurah

For mum of 11, grandmother of 31 and great grandmother of 12 Jennifer DeJong, Mother’s Day is understandably a very large family affair. And the Mercy Place Mandurah resident who is a born and bred Victorian happily admits that being a mother was always her highest priority.

Born on 12 December 1935 in St Kilda, just outside Melbourne, Jennifer was brought up as an only child, her father - who served at Gallipoli during World War One and was a high-ranking officer during the Second World War - dying of war-related injuries when she was a young teenager.

Jennifer went on to meet her first husband - a German man - on a train and the couple married when she was just 22 years old, going on to have six children, including twins, in just seven years.

But the marriage didn’t work out, and Jennifer went on to meet her second husband, a Dutch man called Sirius when she was in her mid-30s. The pair subsequently eloped to Western Australia, where they went on to have five children, including another set of twins.

“Mum has always loved babies and children, and in fact she has always loved people and throughout her life has been surrounded by friends,” explains daughter Fiona.

“Mum explains that she was always lonely as an only child and I think because of that she has surrounded herself with others.  She has a huge family and then her friends are also her family; she is an incredibly warm and inclusive person.”

Fiona adds that she and her family treasure spending time with their matriarch, who has a long list of her children’s, grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s birthdays on her wall to ensure she never forgets one.

“Mum is just a wonderful person and it gives us all such joy that she is still here with us to enjoy Mother’s Day,” adds Fiona.

“All of the generations visit her regularly; she just loves spending time with us and we adore her too.”

Mercy Place Mandurah Service Manager, Simone Baxter, says staff will be holding a special Mother’s Day lunch on Sunday 14 May for all the mums at Mercy Place Mandurah.

“Mother’s 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,” she says.

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