Happy 100th birthday Sylvia

Sylvia Van de Velde will be the newest addition to the centenarian club when she celebrates her 100th birthday on Thursday, surrounded by friends and staff at Gippsland Health’s Wilsons Lodge.

Sylvia was born in Bairnsdale on June 23, 1922.

Spending her childhood years growing up on a farm in Maffra, when Sylvia and her siblings weren’t at school, they spent their days outside under the sun, in the fresh air, with their horses and dogs.

Sylvia is the third of her siblings to reach 100 years old, with her two eldest sisters passing away at 100 and 101.

The secret to a long life is “outdoor living and living on horses for all your teenage years”, Sylvia said.

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