From Kerosene Lamps to Smartphones: WA Great-Grandmother and BaptistCare Resident Turns 105
There was a big reason to party when BaptistCare resident Ellie Parsons turned 105!
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25 August 2025
News
| Aged Care Homes
Few people can say they’ve lived through two world wars, the Great Depression, the invention of television and the rise of smartphones, but Brookton’s Florence “Ellie” Parsons can.
Born in Pingelly on 14 August 1920, Ellie grew up in an era when the world was lit by kerosene lamps, milk came straight from the cow and a trip to school meant saddling up her horse, Bella, for the several-kilometre ride.
Friends, family and fellow residents gathered at BaptistCare Kalkarni aged care home to celebrate Ellie’s extraordinary milestone with a high tea brimming with scones, cake and pastries.
BaptistCare Kalkarni Lifestyle Coordinator Laura Yau said Ellie’s warmth, wit and competitive streak make her a treasured part of the community.
“Ellie is living proof that age is no barrier to joy. She never misses a bingo game, and her smile lights up the room. We were honoured to celebrate such an incredible milestone with her,” Laura said.
Ellie’s life story is a living slice of WA history.
She grew up on a farm near Pumphreys Bridge, where she met her future husband, Robert “Rob” Parsons, who was working on the property cutting mallet bark.
They married in April 1941 and settled in Nillumbick, West Popanyinning, where Ellie kept chooks, cows and a thriving vegetable garden while Rob worked as a shearer.
Raising three children - Beryl, Graeme and Colin - was no small feat in a time before electricity.
Ellie baked bread, churned butter, bottled fruit and sewed clothes on a treadle machine. She became known for her prize-winning flowers, her famous jelly cakes and her tireless work with the local CWA.
Her proudest achievement, however, is her family, now seven grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren strong.
Ellie said the key to living a long life is being happy, having a great family and not taking on other people’s problems.