South Australia is mourning the loss of Lorna Henstridge, the nation’s oldest woman, who died in hospital after a weeks-long battle with pneumonia.
Lorna was born in 1914 in Bute on SA’s Yorke Peninsula — the same year World War I began — and celebrated her 112th birthday on June 6 of this year.
She lived through two world wars, two global pandemics and 26 Australian prime ministers. She also saw five monarchs take the throne in the UK with George V, Edward VIII, George VI, Elizabeth II and Charles III all serving during her lifetime.
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Lorna also leaves a long line of family.
At her 110th birthday, she had three children, seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren in attendance.
Lorna once revealed her secret to longevity was to “always do something you enjoy” — a mantra she carried through decades of social, political and technological upheaval.
“My father used to take me on horseback to the railway crossing when I was five years old to go to school,” she told 7NEWS in 2024.
“Be active, be interested in the world, be interested in your friends. If you can do that, you’ll get a certain pleasure out of living.”
Lorna’s family and friends will remember her as a “amazing and joyous lady”.
