By Jed Lanyon
Estia Health’s oldest resident Joyce Monk celebrated her 101st birthday on Monday 6 July.
The aged care facility celebrated the great occasion by organising 101 personally signed birthday cards from Joyce’s friends and family.
“It might take me some time to open all these cards,” Joyce said.
“We had the cards printed up and they had pictures of Joyce on them,” Estia Health lifestyle officer Bernadette Stanley said. “We handed them out to staff and all the residents, so everyone had their own message for Joyce.”
Joyce, an avid Hawthorn supporter, enjoyed a face-time call with Hawks ruckman Ben McEvoy, currently training in a hub in Sydney.
Joyce has supported the club as a member for over 80 years and has been fortunate enough to see all of the club’s 13 VFL/AFL premierships.
The celebrations were topped off with a large cake, brown and yellow balloons as well as residents joining together to sing the Hawthorn Football Club song.
Ms Stanley said Joyce is a popular resident and described her as the matriarch of the aged care facility.
Prior to the pandemic, Joyce had been going out to lunches and doing her own shopping.
“She’s a cheery sort of person. I don’t really think of her as a 101 year old, I think of her as an 81 or even a 71 year old.
“She’s got a lovely attitude to life and a great sense of humour. People just like being around her and when they find out how old she is, they can’t believe it.”
