BIOGRAPHY

Phyllis Lee was born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, on 3 November 1907. In 1909, her family—consisting of her father, Robert, her mother, Gertrude Naylor, her three siblings, Dorothy, Coulson, and Hilda, as well as her uncle Tom and aunt Mollie—sailed from England to Brisbane aboard the S.S. Oswestry Grange. Ten years later, they settled in Trentholme, Applethorpe, where they established an orchard growing apples, pears, peaches, plums, and nectarines. After attending Applethorpe School, Phyllis worked on the family orchard and took on domestic duties. She also had a passion for playing tennis.

In 1925, at the age of 18, she began working for Ellen and Samuel Lee at Samuel Lee & Co. Eight years later, on 27 January 1933, when she was 25, Phyllis married their son, Wesley. The couple had five children. The couple began their life together in what had once been the dormitory of a boys’ boarding school, nestled among acres of vineyards. Phyllis was an exceptional cook, and during the summer, she would gather the entire family around the kitchen table to peel and chop stone fruit for bottling or making jam. They produced postcards and government schoolbooks.

Her husband passed away in 1982 at the age of 87. Throughout her life, she loved to travel, with her final trip being to Japan in her mid-80s.

At the age of 110, Phyllis’s son, Peter, suggested that her longevity might have been due to abstaining from alcohol and smoking. Her daughter-in-law, Judy, added that Phyllis had never experienced a severe illness. At the time, she had 17 grandchildren, 58 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.

Phyllis Lee passed away in Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia, on 20 December 2017, at the age of 110 years, 47 days.

RECOGNITION

Lee’s age was verified by Dr. Andrew Holmes and validated by the ESO on 9 November 2020.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Oldest living Queenslander celebrates special birthday” – Warwick Daily News, 4 November 2017

* “Oldest Queenslander Phyllis Lee dies at 110, leaving more than 100 descendants” – ABC News, 20 December 2017

GALLERY