Community & Business
16 November, 2022
Happy 100th Marjorie Manktelow
In the year that Marjorie Manktelow was born, few could have imagined just how far our everyday technology could advance in a lifetime.
The year was 1922 and Prime Minister Billy Hughes had just made the country’s first publicly available radio broadcast, and basic phone systems were becoming more common.
Fast forward to 2022 and there was Marjorie on Saturday, 5 November, at a surprise party for her 100th birthday, taking a ‘Facetime’ call from one of her grandchildren, Corey, who was in Darwin.
Marjorie’s family had arranged for her to be picked up from Beauaraba Living and delivered to a park where her large family waited to surprise her.
Marjorie (nee Hess) grew up in the Pittsworth area and married the late Charles Manktelow in 1942.
They had four children; Fay, Shirley, Ken and Denise.
Today she is also a grandmother to 10, great grandmother to 19 and has one great great grandchild, little Ava Sutton.
They all know her as ‘Billie’ - a nickname she has had since childhood.
Her newest descendent is great grandson Charlie Graham Thomas.
“It was so beautiful for her to hold Charlie, named after her husband,” Denise said.
She said her mother had lived an active life “always involved in community things” and she remained very alert.
“She has always been alert, she kept going on to learn new things and she could do anything she put her mind to, I think that’s why she has stayed so alert,” Denise said.
Marjorie loved to cook and was a judge for the baking section at the Pittsworth Show and a member of the QCWA and many other local organisations.
She received a British Empire Medal (BEM) for Community Service in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 1985 and a Centenary Medal from Prime Minister John Howard in 2001.
She enjoys lots of activities at Beauaraba and was delighted to celebrate her special day surrounded by her many family members - including that Facetime video call from Darwin.
