One of the biggest things that stood out about Iris was her sense of humour. When asked about tips she had for living past 100, Iris said there was no secret – but thought that having a drink of sherry each night sure helped!

Iris moved from Tumut to Sydney when she was five, where spent her childhood with her parents and two older brothers. She worked as a salesgirl for about eight years in a suburban shop that kept a bit of everything, and then left when she got married to raise her own family.

Iris met her husband, Charles, at a church. He was a soldier, and they were married in 1941 in the early stages of the war. Together they had three children: two sons and a daughter.

In the 1950s, Iris, Charles and their kids moved to Orange, where they would live for about 30 years before Charles decided that it was far too cold to retire there. So, they packed up and moved to Kiama, where they lived for 12 years.

Iris said that the greatest achievement of her life was her family, raising her children and eventually welcoming her ten grandchildren, as well as her many great and great-great-grandchildren! Her happiest memories all centred around Charles and their family, and she found it difficult to choose just one.

Iris described herself as a very friendly person, and said that others might even call her cheeky at times. She believed in the importance of always being truthful in life, and that you should always be kind to others – this was the advice she wanted to pass on to her family and those around her.

Iris was a long-time resident at Warrigal, having lived at Warrigal Albion Park Rail for twenty years before moving to the residential care home. At the time of the interview, Iris had been living there for a year. She had enjoyed the friendships she has made during this time, and said she used to meet them at the hairdressers to catch up with them.