BIOGRAPHY

Lorna Henstridge was born in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia on 6 June 1914. She had two siblings. Her father, Alexander Paterson, was the son of William Henry B. Paterson, the founder of the Willamulka Methodist Bible Christian Church, which was built on his property in 1884. She grew up on her parents’ farm near Bute and later moved to Adelaide for schooling. When she started school, her father would ride with her on horseback to the train station, where she would then catch the train to school. Later, she moved to Adelaide to live with her grandmother, attending Unley School and then St Peter’s Girls’ School.

During World War II, she met her husband while working at a library for soldiers, and they married in January 1945. The couple had three children: Jennie, Carolyn, and David, and lived in Victor Harbor and Keith, where they ran a menswear store and enjoyed golf.

Her mother lived into her 90s, and her grandmother lived past 100.

Henstridge moved to Bordertown in 2019 and now resides in a nursing home. At 110, she walked around the garden and the hallways every day and also exercised her legs in her room. She did crosswords, read, and went out three times a week with her daughter. At the time, she had seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

RECOGNITION

Henstridge is the second-oldest person in Australia, following Ken Weeks of New South Wales.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Australia’s oldest woman, Lorna Henstridge, celebrates her 110th birthday in Bordertown” – ABC Australia, 6 June 2024

* “Australia’s oldest woman, Lorna Henstridge, shares secret to long life on 110th birthday” – 7NEWS, June 2024

* “Oldest woman in Australia and her country roots” – Australian Rural & Regional News, 12 June 2024

GALLERY