Geoff, Sue and Keith Bayliss with their Aunt Doris after she turned 100 last Saturday.By Rebecca Fraser
DORIS Brentwood said the secret to her long and active life was that she was a goody, goody.
The resident at the Homewood Residential Aged Care in Hallam turned 100 last Saturday, and her family said she had never drank, smoked, married or gone out with bad men.
But she does play a ‘mean game of bingo’ according to nephew Geoff Bayliss and his wife Sue who cared for Doris for 30 years before she moved to Homewood.
Mr Bayliss said Doris also liked a little gamble and each Thursday they still had a flutter on the horses.
The Bayliss family also recalled that Doris was a fearless driver even though she never held a proper driver’s licence.
“She drove over the Bunyip River once on two planks during a flood. Dori was all right, but we were packing death,” her nephew Keith Bayliss said.
On Saturday, the birthday celebrations kicked off with the cutting of the cake with family and residents at Homewood, followed by lunch for 120 family members at the Hallam Hotel on Sunday.
The festivities then continued on Monday with another afternoon tea at Homewood for the staff who help care for Doris.
Keith Bayliss and wife Pam said Doris had always been active and had taken good care of her family and friends.
“She has looked after her family and friends all her life from her mother, brothers, sisters and friends,” Keith said.
Born in Caulfield in 1905, Miss Brentwood spent time in Oakleigh and Warragul before moving to Cheltenham where she spent 30 years before moving to Homewood.
In 2003, she suffered a stroke and severe pneumonia, and was in a coma for two weeks.
Her family said doctors told them she would not pull through and they needed to say their goodbyes.
“She must have thought I am not going anywhere so she boxed on and came out of the coma,” Keith said.
Miss Brentwood was engaged for 40 years but never married or had children.
“She was engaged to Archie when she lived in Warragul and told him she would marry him when he gave up drinking but he never did. She used to pinch his drinks off him on Saturday and sell them back to him the next day. When we left Warragul he stayed behind and died about 35 years ago. It was all done in good friendship,” the Bayliss family said.
Miss Brentwood received congratulatory letters from the Queen, Premier Steve Bracks, Prime Minister John Howard, Governor of Victoria John Landy and the GovernorGeneral Michael Jeffery last week.
