CLARICE Christensen celebrated her 99th birthday with days of events.
Celebrations began with a five hour lunch at Spice of Life Cafe mid-week; then continued with a visit to motorbike cafe Iron & Resin on the Gold Coast; and she and her granddaughter Kim Baker were also invited to lunch with Fr Kevin Njoku, the priest at St Mary’s Parish Beaudesert on the Sunday.
At Spice of Life she was accompanied by a host of friends from the Garden Club, U3A, Birdwatching group and St George’s Church, as well as two other women in their nineties – Doreen Wendt-Weir and Nancy Renault.
Her bible study group prepared a three tier birthday cake for her.
She was also chuffed to receive a phone call from Federal MP Scott Buchholz to wish her a happy birthday.
She gave Scott some advice – “Don’t be afraid of getting old. Ninety-nine is just the beginning”.
“I have done everything a 99 year old should do. Take my word for it,” Clarice said happily.
“I’ve had a wonderful, wonderful time.”
Clarice and her late husband had motorbikes, but she was always the pillion passenger.
“We used to stand up on the motorbike – he would stand up and I would stand up behind, balancing – we were really showing off.”
Clarice has an elegance and vibrance that is almost contagious, she laughs often and remarks she has had a wonderful life.
She is articulate and, although she walks with a walking stick, she is still fit and healthy.
“I’m having a lovely time, the best time of my life!”
Kim, who is a trained hairdresser, sets her hair every week, making sure her Nan looks her best.
“We don’t let ourselves go grey and wrinkled if we can help it. We still put cream on and look after ourselves,” says Clarice.
Clarice grew up in the country near Nambucca Heads, riding horses and learning to shoot a rifle and when she moved to Tamborine Mountain in 2016 it reminded her of her youth.
She has seen a lot of changes in her time and remembers growing up with no electricity in their family home until she was 11 years old.
“I used to carry a candle at night to be able to see and Dad said, don’t carry that candle around, you’ll burn the house down.”
She also remembers the celebrations that marked the end of World War II in 1945.
“I was married in December 1945 and it ended in September. We all danced in the streets in Taree,” she said.
She recalls the petrol and food rationing and the ration tickets that were used during those years.
Married for 48 years, Clarice and her husband, Ron, had a wrecking yard, until he passed away.
When they met, they made a deal – she would teach him to dance if he taught her to drive.
“Well, you couldn’t teach him … but he ended up being a drummer and we had a band.”
The couple had a daughter, Rhonda and Clarice now has three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Determined to keep up with technology, Clarice recently bought her first laptop – she previously used a desktop computer and also loves her iPhone.
Thank You
Clarice wanted to thank everyone who helped to celebrate her birthday.
“Of all my long god given life, my 99th birthday is certainly the most exciting and memorable and so special,” she said.
“From my heart I send you beautiful people thanks, love and long life too.
“My gifts of god’s created flowers and card for by loving hands are beauty itself.
“The birthday cards are meaningful and loving and the gifts are from the heart.
“Mount Tamborine folk I send you all gratitude, love and a happy long life.
“Thanks to Spice of Life Café for having us there.”
Clarice has no plans for her 100th birthday just yet but she seems likely she will continue to celebrate in style.
