‘Fast and Furious’ – Mrs Lorna Kemp Celebrates 100 years

Turning 100 in February, Mrs Lorna Kemp says that time spent twirling around the dance floor with her husband Max were some of the happiest of her life. ‘We used to go dancing just about every second week,’ Lorna says. ‘I loved doing “The Alberts” (a type of square dance with four couples). We used to get fast and furious doing that one!

Dancing took the couple all over the state, including to Uraidla, Gawler, and Strathalbyn. They would also attend the Airforce dances for returned servicemen, enjoying styles of dance including the Circular Waltz, the Quickstep, the Military Two-Step and the Foxtrot.

Looking back on her life, Lorna says that she has made it to 100 ‘with one big struggle!’

‘There have certainly been ups and downs in my life, like any. It hasn’t always been an easy life,’ Lorna says.

A Childhood in Lameroo

Lorna was born in Lameroo at the local hospital in 1924. The eldest of two girls, her family were wheat farmers for a time, and she remembers riding with her father in the horse and buggy for trips into Lameroo for shopping.

Later, her father went to work for the local council, where he was responsible for grading the dirt roads with a horse team and horse-drawn equipment.

‘I remember two of the horses: Kepton and Ballie,’ Lorna says. ‘One day, Dad told us about seeing some snake tracks on the dirt road. He said the width of the track was as wide as a man’s wrist. It must have been a huge snake. I wouldn’t have stopped to say hello!’

Along with snakes, Lorna says there were lots of rabbits and hares on the property, and that about once a fortnight a rabbit would be caught and roasted for dinner.

‘My mum was a wonderful cook,’ Lorna says. ‘She would make the most delicious homemade pasties, as well as sultana cake and other things. Twice she won first prize ribbons at the Pinnaroo and Lameroo Show for her cooking.’

Meeting Max

In 1947, Lorna married Maxwell Robert John Kemp at the Lameroo Methodist Church. They lived in Strathalbyn for two years, where they ran the local store, then returned to Lameroo where Max began share farming. Later he worked at the Eudunda Farmers’ Co-operative store.

Together, the couple had three children – Douglas who was born in 1950, Jennifer, born in 1952 and Richard who was born in 1961.

‘They certainly kept me busy,’ Lorna says. ‘Cooking, cleaning, mending. We used to have an old copper boiler for a washing machine, not like the new machines these days.’

In the mid-50s, the family moved to Blair Athol, buying a business on Prospect Road.

‘It was a general store/deli and I would sometimes work behind the counter,’ Lorna says. ‘Children would come in and ask how many lollies they could get for a penny!’

They had the store for nearly five years, deciding to sell when Richard was just a baby. Max later became a storeman for the police department, as well as working in hotels, including the Hotel Enfield.

Holidays were enjoyed within South Australia, with Lorna and Max (and often Richard in tow) visiting family in Wallaroo.

‘I’ve enjoyed doing a lot of gardening over the years,’ Lorna says, ‘As well as sewing clothes for the children and cooking. I made sure there was always a big sultana cake on the counter (just like Mum’s) that was ready for the hungry mouths to eat.’

Moving to Murray Bridge

When Max retired in 1983, the couple moved to Murray Bridge.

‘We moved here because Max wanted to take up fishing,’ Lorna laughs. ‘I don’t think he ever caught a thing!’

Sadly, a few years after their retirement, Lorna’s eldest son died in a car accident in Queensland when he was just 37 years old.

‘It was a very hard time,’ Lorna says. ‘I say to all the young people “drive carefully – don’t be reckless”.’

Max died in 2013 at the age of 91, and five years ago Lorna moved into the Murray Lands Retirement Village where she now lives, receiving services in cleaning, laundering, and shopping from Resthaven Murray Bridge Community Services.

Longevity might run in the family, with Lorna’s own mother living to be 96, and her mother’s sister, Aunty Vi living to be 99. Congratulations on reaching 100 Lorna!

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