When Mary Goodacre was born in Victoria on Feb. 27, 1907, Sir Wilfred Laurier was Prime Minister of Canada and the Ford Model T was still nearly two years away from production.
As she entered primary school, the First World War had just commenced. Goodacre, now 107, is believed to be the oldest living resident in Richmond and one the oldest living persons in Canada. As a young woman, she worked as a line worker at a meat packing plant and moved to Richmond where she then became a clerk at a dress shop.
Her four children gave her 10 grandchildren, who have subsequently given her 13 great grandchildren.
Apassionate horse lover, she once was a competitive horse jumper. After the death of her husband, she found love with her high school sweetheart.
She's a sucker for romance novels, likes a good flick and even enjoys a good sports match on the tube (consider the fact nearly half her life was without colour television). While hard of hearing, she will give you a big smile when you say hello, and don't tell her she's 107 because she's always looking her best - the fancy lipstick says it all.
"She's a very sweet lady who has seen a lot of changes in her lifetime," says Katherine Schooley, volunteer coordinator at Rosewood Manor, Goodacre's home, where every now and then she'll still enjoy a vodka on a Friday afternoon.
Goodacre's health has its ups and downs these days.
Just after her birthday, she fell ill, but yesterday she was feeling better. She's one of roughly 350 people in Canada over the age of 105.
Acentenarian, Goodacre represents a demographic that is on a sharp rise. In 2011, according to Statistics Canada, there were 5,825 centenarians. Of those, 40 per cent were exactly 100.
Roughly one in five are women. The number of centenarians is expected to rise each year in Canada. In two years, it is expected there will be about 7,900. That number will double by 2026 and by 2050 there will be about 49,000 centenarians.
In Richmond, there are 17 centenarians living in care facilities. The next oldest person is 104 years old.
