On 8 February, Mabel Pfieffer, or May as she likes to be called, will celebrate a milestone few achieve—her 100th birthday.
Born in Gatton, Queensland, in 1925, Mabel has witnessed a century of change while maintaining a strong connection to her roots and family.
Growing up on a dairy farm in Ropeley, a small farming town 15 kilometres south of Gatton, Mabel’s early years were defined by hard work, as most farm kids were.
“I started milking cows when I was seven,” she said.
“We didn’t have machines like you do now, it was a bucket between your legs and sitting on a stool.”
Despite the challenges of farm life, Mrs Pfeiffer speaks fondly of her upbringing.
“I would walk one and a half kilometres to school each day,” she said.
“At lunch I would make the trek back home for some food and head back to school.”
Mrs Pfeiffer used to work on the farm after school to help her parents and left school at thirteen to work on the farm full time.
“We worked every day picking potatoes, planting sweetcorn and milking cows,” she said.
“It was hard work, but it was a very good life.”
In her early 30s, Mrs Pfeiffer married her late husband Howard at the Lutheran Church in Laidley.
The couple then moved to Logan and bought a dairy farm in Cedar Vale, just off Millstream Road, where they worked together for a decade.
They eventually left farming behind and moved to Sunnybank, where they spent their retirement years in a two storey brick home, living independently well into their 90’s
“Myself and Howard moved into aged care after I had a fall at our place,” she said.
“Howard passed last year at 99 years of age, just short of his 100th.”
Mrs Pfeiffer attributes her longevity to her hard-working lifestyle and a supportive family.
“I have always had a loving family and they’ve always been there for me,” she said.
With two sons, a daughter, eight grandchildren, eight great grandchildren and one great great grand child, family gatherings have always been central to her life.
Mrs Pfeiffer is currently unable to use her legs and spends her time watching tennis, cheering for the Brisbane Broncos, and tuning in to her favourite TV show, The Chase.
Mrs Pfeiffer’s milestone follows in the footsteps of her own mother Alma who lived to 101 and she hopes to reach that age too.
“I’d like to beat my Mum, that would be fantastic.”
Because of Mrs. Pfeiffer’s current situation, her party will stretch across two days, with a steady stream of family members popping in and out like an ongoing celebration marathon.
“I love parties, but it’s just too hard to stand for me now,” she said.
“I’ve always said, when you get to my age, you either lose it in the head or in the legs. Lucky me, I’ve still got my wits”
