Milestone year for remarkable Ruby

The centenarian welcomed visitors, had morning tea with fellow Meath Care residents and staff, and lunch with family on the last day of July.

‘I never gave (reaching) 100 a lot of thought,’ she said.

‘Never thinking old, exercise and good living have kept me going. I’ve made the best of everything.’

WA-born Mrs Roberts, who recalls her life with amazing clarity, spent her early years in North Perth and Bayswater.

She started work at 14, house cleaning for a family near Kings Park for ‘seven shillings and six pence a week and my keep’.

Her varied working life included store work at Boans in central Perth and waitressing in Southern Cross, Merredin and Perth.

‘The gold rush was on when I was in Southern Cross and the place came to life,’ said Mrs Roberts, who worked at the town’s Railway Hotel.

First husband Thomas Butler died in World War II.

She met second husband Len Roberts, a boilermaker, at the Embassy Ballroom and they settled in the northern coastal suburbs. He died several years ago.

Mrs Roberts likes watching the television news and enjoys regular visits from nieces, nephews and their families.