A week or two ago Daphne Meyer stopped mowing her lawn on her own, on Thursday she celebrates her 100th birthday.
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Mrs Meyer said her letter from the Queen has already arrived as have letters from the Governor General, Prime Minister, the two local members Andrew Gee and Phil Donato, as well as from Orange City Council.
Several family members will help her celebrate on Sunday, and on Wednesday she visited the Orange Art Society to celebrate the milestone birthday with cake and sparking wine.
Mrs Meyer joined the society in 1994 and visited every Wednesday to paint until this year when her visits have been less regular.
However, she is still active and living in her own home and on Wednesday she walked through the art society rooms without a walking aid.
"I've been fortunate in health and family, it's been a very fortunate life," Mrs Meyer said.
She said society has changed a lot in her lifetime and she remembers when horses and buggy's were still used for transport.
"My grandmother used to live in Woodward Street in that big house near [Emus Rugby Club]," Mrs Meyer said.
"She drove a Dodge car and she used to beep at every intersection because there were very few cars."
She said the locals were used to her grandmother driving around but visitors weren't as wary.
However, on a downside she said people appeared to be less respectful of each other than they were in previous years.
"I think respect is gone, a little more respect would be respectful in the whole community, people, property and the whole [environment]," she said.
"Respect is the main thing that has disappeared."
Mrs Meyer grew up at Tallwood between Forrest Reefs and Millthorpe and went to school at Tallwood until she was 14.
She married Ray Meyer and they moved to a farm at Spring Terrace and had three children, Cheryl Lobsey, Dale Meyer and Lesley Baker who sadly died in September.
Mrs Meyer also has seven grand children and 19 great-grand children.
The Meyer's retired to Orange when they were in their early 60s and Mrs Meyer started attending art classes at Tafe before she joined the art society. She also joined the Orange Day VIEW Club.
"I like to garden, I was on the land for a lot of years and when we retired and came to Orange to live I always loved art and it was a chance to go to Tafe and I followed it with the Orange Art Society," Mrs Meyer said.
"There's been some lovely people through this and through the art, lovely, lovely people."
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