A good life: 100-year-old Harry Gibson with his daughter Judith Gorman. He and his wife had eight children, and he now has 16 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren the eldest being four years old. Picture: Alana Landsberry
SYDNEY, New South Wales (Hills News), January 8, 2008:
When Harry Gibson met with the News for a story marking his 100th birthday, he half wondered whether readers would believe him.
Another era: Harry Gibson as a little boy with his elder sister Annie. Harry lived through a time when it cost sixpence to go to ``the pictures'' at Granville."Some people might question the photo," he said.
While the Baulkham Hills man does looks decades younger, he has the documents to prove his age.
Born in Yorkshire, England, on December 22, 1907, he came to Australia with his family as a two-year-old, aboard the Orient Line ship Otway in 1909.
"The first place I remember living in was Lidcombe," Mr Gibson said. "Then we moved to Clyde and my father got a job with Clyde Engineering as a labourer.
"After that we moved to a place called Delwood in Granville and we had a dairy. There was a lot of bush and very few houses. I had to leave school the day I turned 14 to go and help Dad on the dairy."
At 18, Mr Gibson began working at Geddes butcher shop in Parramatta, and worked in butchering for a number of years, until he got a job as an ice-cream seller for Jack Johnson of Wentworthville.
He became the yesteryear equivalent of Mr Whippy.
"It was a horse-and-cart job," he said. "I'd go out [on the streets] ringing the bell.
"Then I went to work at Streets, when they first brought out Paddlepops."
Romance blossomed when Mr Gibson met a young lady called Eliza Mary Cooper.
"I was delivering milk and she was the second-last customer on the morning run," he said.
The pair married in 1930 and over the years had eight children.
In 1964 they moved to Baulkham Hills, when the area was mostly bush, and the only shops were corner stores.
Mr Gibson still lives in the same house today, although now he's on his own; his wife died in 1992.
He has also outlived his three eldest sons and has lost all his sisters, including his older sister Annie who died only 18 months ago, at the age of 100.
Until her death, the pair had kept in touch, taking turns to phone each other every day.
Despite being on his own though, he refuses to become lonely and has plenty to keep him occupied.
A community nurse visits him daily, he has weekly outings with Hills Community Care and regular shopping trips on his scooter. He also has restaurant dinners with his daughter Judy, who he says he "couldn't live without".
While his eyesight no longer allows him to read, he watches a lot of cricket, and he also enjoys spending time in his garden, which is kept in good order by a local retired doctor.
"I sit outside on a chair in the sun, watching the birds coming and going. That fills my day in. I used to cook all my own meals until I went into hospital they spoilt me I think!
"I've got good neighbours. They watch me all the time. If they don't see me for an hour or two they come and check on me.
"One night last week I was sitting on my own, feeling really lonely, and sang out to my neighbours to come and talk to me. They came round and brought a bottle of wine and we had a bit of a chat. Contact with people is very important."
It's not only Mr Gibson's appearance that belies his age, but also his positive approach to life, despite the setbacks and sadness that 100 years of living has inevitably brought.
This cheerful disposition has earned him the nickname "Happy Harry" and has inspired many.
In December last year, 116 of Mr Gibson's family and friends gathered in a hall in Glenmore Park to celebrate his milestone. Great-grandson Mitchell Ryan and friends provided the entertainment with their rock band.
With a birthday gift for Mr Gibson, one of Mitchell's friends wrote a message that said it all: "I've only known you for 10 minutes, and already you're an inspiration!"
Copyright © 2008. Fairfax Digital
