Australian woman celebrates 112th birthday, having lived through two world wars and two pandemics

Lorna Henstridge, who was born on June 6, 1914, is celebrating her 112th birthday, making her potentially Australia's oldest woman. Her life has spanned two world wars, two pandemics, and 26 Australian prime ministers.

“

I don't know myself how I got to be so old.

Her daughter, Jennie Jacobs, shared that Mrs. Henstridge views her age with a sense of wonder, often saying, "I don't know myself how I got to be so old." Jacobs added, "We look at her in a totally different light than she looks at herself."

“

We look at her in a totally different light than she looks at herself.

Mrs. Henstridge, who now resides in Bordertown, South Australia, previously told ABC that the key to her long and mostly healthy life is to "keep moving all the time … moving your body and moving your mind." She grew up in a "very different" era, describing her childhood as simpler and slower. Her father died when she was young, leaving her mother to raise three children and manage the family farm on Yorke Peninsula alone.

“

I think the main thing is you've got to keep moving all the time … moving your body and moving your mind.

After completing a business course and working in Adelaide, she met and married Alan Henstridge. They settled in Keith to run a shoe store, raising three children and enjoying a "happy, simple life" filled with sports on weekends. Mrs. Henstridge was active in her community, playing the church organ for decades and enjoying golf and bowls. After her husband's passing in 2003, she lived independently until moving into assisted care. For her birthday, she returned to Keith for a family gathering.

“

When I was a child, we didn't have much and we didn't want for much.