Wagga's newest centenarian honoured with special celebration

Marie Laughton was born to Scottish immigrants John and Lydia May McDonald in Katamatite, near Yarrawonga, on February 9, 1924.

But the conditions soon proved too wet, so the family moved up to a farm near Ariah Park in 1925, where she spent her childhood.

"It was a lovely, big farm," Marie said.

Living through the great depression, she reflected on the impact it had on her.

"I still remember my dad saying there was a couple and three little children who came to the top gate [of the farm].

"He came in and said to mum 'Give them a good feed and a meal. Dress them and do what you can for them'.

"But we weren't allowed to keep them there, they had to go."

Marie attended a small one-teacher country school outside Ariah Park and after finishing there she left for Leeton to attend high school.

After that came WWII, and Mrs Laughton did her part working as a nurse at Leeton Hospital for four years.

During this time, she recalled the Japanese bombs falling on Darwin.

"They told us Darwin had been bombed, but they said [at the time] only about four or five were killed," Mrs Laughton said.

"But goodness, I believe [there were actually] about 250 killed."

It was during her time there she met her future husband John Laughton.

"He was the radiographer at Leeton Hospital through the war," Marie said.

However, an age difference initially caused her to turn him down.

"He was 12 months younger than I and he asked me one day 'Will you be my girlfriend?'," she said.

"I said 'No, you're too young for me'. He was quite happy, handsome, good looking, and all the girls were running after him."

But as they spent more time together they fell in love and were married in 1947.

The couple moved to Wagga in 1950, where she worked as a nurse at Wagga Base and he continued working as a radiographer.

"[John continued working] there for about 50 years," Marie said.

As time went by, the couple welcomed one son, John, and two daughters, Suzanne and Elizabeth, into the world.

However tragedy struck when John was killed in a country station accident in Queensland at the age of just 27.

After raising their children, the couple downsized and moved to Riverina Gums Retirement Village in the early 2000s.

Her husband of more than 70 years died about four years ago, aged 96.

Marie said she was "blessed" to have reached 100, recalling one occasion when she had a fall and was in "excruciating pain".

"While I was lying there ... I thought [of] Jesus on the cross, if he suffered pain like this," she said.

"Then the pain disappeared, but I must have passed out."

Asked what her secret to a long life is, Marie said she "never drank, never smoked".

"I was probably classed as a goody-goody. We were brought up strictly, and did everything in moderation," she said.