‘Stay busy and happy doing the things you love’ at 100
Resthaven Leabrook resident, Mrs Isabel Fuller, celebrated her 100th birthday on 24 June this year, and has shared some of the highlights from her life as a career woman.
Mrs Fuller grew up in the South Australian town of Redhill with her mother, Gertrude, her father, Frank, and her eight siblings.
‘My mother had a lot on her plate raising five boys and four girls, while my father worked as a Policeman in Mount Lofty,’ says Mrs Fuller.
‘She was a fantastic cook and tended well to the garden – I took after her with my love of gardening, but all the other housework never appealed to me.’
Fuelled with ambition, Mrs Fuller focused on working hard in school, excelling in geography and drawing.
Mrs Fuller soon found herself an opportunity to start her nursing career at Maitland Hospital, working her way to Crystal Brook Hospital, the Adelaide Hospital, and then eventually at The Royal Women’s Hospital as a Midwife.
‘I wasn’t too interested in getting married young, especially as my work had a rule back then that once you were married, you had to quit.’
‘It wasn’t until I was around thirty years old that I married my dear Aleck, and we had our first daughter only a year or two later, followed by one more girl, and two boys.’
‘Aleck worked as a butcher, but I was itching to work again, so we soon became the owners of country hotels. The first was the Light Hotel in Eudunda, and then the Angaston Hotel, where we stayed for a long while.’
‘I ran the administration side of things. We not only admitted our guests, but we had the job of putting their horses in stables! – that was how everyone got by, you see.’
‘It was during this time that we became friends with Maggie Beer, who lived close by. She would invite us over to her house for lunch – a true highlight to look back on.’
Aleck fell ill after a few years, prompting them to sell the hotel and move the family to Adelaide, before buying a house in Mount Gambier that was close to their daughter.
‘Mount Gambier was a lovely place to live, but I eventually settled down in Kensington, and was glad to stay nearby when I went into residential care.’
Mrs Fuller’s secret to longevity is to stay busy and happy doing the things you love.
‘I found a lot of joy in learning woodwork in my adult years and made furniture for my whole family – I have made just about everything in my room myself!’
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Mrs Fuller, and congratulations on turning 100!
Established in 1935, Resthaven is a South Australian not-for-profit aged care community service associated with the Uniting Church in Australia.
Every day, Resthaven shares the lives and wisdom of older people and their carers, opening doors to the full range of aged care service options available.
Services are provided throughout metropolitan Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, Murraylands, Riverland, Fleurieu Peninsula, lower Barossa region and the Limestone Coast of South Australia.