LEOPOLDA Figar has celebrated more birthdays than most, marking her 101st year yesterday.
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Mrs Figar was born in a small village on the border of Austria and Italy in what is now Slovenia, 12 days before the start of World War I.
She and her husband, Ivan, moved to Australia when their children Ivan and Maria were four and 18 months old, respectively.
Ivan ssenior worked in the steel works at Port Kembla, where they lived until he died.
Mrs Figar moved in with her daughter, Maria Davidson, in Inverell in the early 2000s, then moved to Newcastle with her, then Tamworth eight years ago.
Mrs Davidson said her mother was independent and had always been self-sufficient, only moving to Nazareth House three weeks ago.
A staple in her life had always been her Catholic religion.
“She used to walk from the bottom of Gipps St to St Patrick’s Church every day until she fell and broke her pelvis,” Mrs Davidson said.
“Religion has always been an important part of her life. All through the good times and the bad times, she’s always had her religion.”
On her 101st birthday, she was showered with cards and flowers, and the aged care facility staff members dressed up in party hats and bowties to mark the special day.