News
29 April, 2025
Long living legend Lois
CABOOLTURE resident of over 40 years, Lois Crittenden, celebrated a milestone 100th birthday on April 20, surrounded by nearly a hundred family members from across Australia.
The celebration, held at the Caboolture Historical Village on Easter Sunday, included Lois being chauffeured in a 100 year old car, accompanied by her three children, six grandchildren, eight greatgrandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
Growing up on her family’s farm by Lake Hindmarsh, Lois was the seventh of twelve children—seven brothers and four sisters.
Today, she stands as the sole surviving sibling of that large, close-knit brood.
From a young age, Lois showed a natural musical talent.
At just four years old, she was discovered playing the piano by ear—an early sign of her lifelong passion for music.
In her later years, she joined her younger brother and sister-in-law in a band, playing at local country dances and bringing joy to the community through music.
In 1949, Lois married her neighbour, Wesley Robert ‘Bob’ Crittenden, a local farmer.
Together, they made a home on the banks of Lake Hindmarsh, surrounded by a tight rural community and a pair of tennis courts that became a gathering point for neighbours and friends.
The couple raised three children—Trevor, Ian, and Maureen—before making a big change in 1968.
They sold the family farm and moved to the Riverina region of New South Wales, purchasing a rice farm in Leeton.
While Bob worked the land, Lois found time to pursue another passion: golf.
In 1981, Lois and Bob retired to Caboolture, Queensland.
Sadly, Bob passed away in 1990, but Lois continued to live a full and active life surrounded by the love of her growing family.
When asked about her secret for a long and fulfilling life, Lois named “hard work” as the main piece of advice, adding how fun, family and community are also important.
“I always loved dancing, going to dances and playing quick goal and go up in tennis,” she said.
“We didn’t go out much, but you had fun with neighbours, which was good.”
Looking back on her century-long life, Lois named two fond memories: growing up on the farm, shearing sheep, fishing and swimming in the lake, and remembering her young kids running in the garden while she worked and telling them ‘get off or you’ll get kicked in the neck’.
Her daughter, Maureen Kidman, also recalls this as some of her favourite memories, adding it became her mum’s catchphrase amongst the family.
“She’s always said, ‘just get out and have fun and behave yourself, or you’ll get a kick in the neck’,” Maureen said.
“She’s just mentally tough.
And her trick is: if you don’t like it, you don’t eat it.
None of this rubbish, of not eating this and not eating that.
And dessert every day.”
Lois’ final advice for all the younger generation is simple: “You can get anything you want and do anything you want.”
