In addition to being a "marvellous mother", Mrs Garde had been among the first women recruited into the Royal Australian Navy.

It was the Second World War and the then-19-year-old and her highly-trained WRAN (Women's Royal Australian Naval Service) comrades were integral to Australia's intelligence operations, intercepting military messages sent from Japanese submarines in Japanese Morse Code.

The enemy signals came from up and down the east coast of Australia and "there were a lot of them", Mrs Garde's daughter Robin Thompson said.

"I didn't know a thing about any of this for years and years and years because Mum and the other girls were absolutely sworn to secrecy, and they kept their word, for decades after the war," Ms Thompson said.

Her adventures didn't stop there though. After the war, Mrs Garde married a Qantas pilot and had three children - including Ms Thompson - and what followed was many exciting years of globe-trotting.

"[He] was posted to England twice and Mexico twice. Mum was always ready to go on an adventure and... the whole family [would go too] each time," Ms Thompson said.

"Whenever we went anywhere Mum, being mad about history, would take us to wherever - Stonehenge, the Acropolis, wherever - and we would sit there while she told us the history of it.

"We had the most fabulous time growing up, learning this history.... Mum's a terrific teacher... [and] she's got this incredible brain."

On Monday afternoon, Mrs Garde celebrated her milestone birthday with her many friends, family and fellow members of Orange Bridge Club - where her "incredible brain" has come in use over the years.

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