MP pops in to say happy 102 birthday

When Marjorie Male turned 102 this week, Member for The Entrance David Mehan was on hand to wish her a happy birthday.

Mehan said she was a beloved member of the community who was celebrating a life well-lived, filled with wisdom, love and resilience.

“Mrs Male has seen the world transform over the course of a century, bearing witness to historical events, societal changes and technological advancements,” he said.

Born in Tamworth, Marjorie Ellen Male (nee Scott) has led an interesting life.

She has lived through World War II, the Korean War and Great Depression, and experienced Australian life before electricity, TV and talkback radio.

She grew up in a farmhouse that wasn’t connected to electricity until 1932.

When she was a young child, her family used Aladdin lamps for light and ice chests for refrigeration.

During her primary school years, Marjorie rode a horse to the Currabubula School which was eight kilometres from the family farm.

To attend high school in Tamworth, she was driven two-and-a-half kilometres to an unmanned railway station and, alongside her two cousins, would flag down the steam train by waving a disc to catch the driver’s attention.

She studied at the Tamworth Metropolitan Business College and worked at the Commonwealth Bank until she married Jim Male on March 18, 1944.

They enjoyed 30 wonderful years in Wollongong, where Jim was a bank branch manager, raising three children, before moving to Glengara Retirement Village at Tumbi Umbi in 2004.

Jim died in 2012.

Mehan joined friends, family and well-wishers at Mingara Recreation Centre to celebrate the remarkable birthday milestone.

“Reaching the age of 102 is a testament to Mrs Male’s resilience, wisdom, and the love surrounding her,” he said.

“This milestone is not just a celebration of a long life but a gathering of stories and experiences that inspire us all.”