TURNING 100 years old usually means a quiet party enjoying a birthday cake while reading a letter from the Queen.
But for her 100th birthday, Rockhampton rev-head Lorna Craney decided to live life in the fast lane, celebrating by taking a spin in a little red Corvette.
The Queensland aged care resident, who lives at Carinity Summit Cottages nursing home, fulfilled her dream of cruising around Mt Morgan in a convertible sports car thanks to her ‘prince’ – Summit Cottages volunteer John Cole.
Mr Cole owns the classic 1969 hot-red Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, and drove Lorna around town and up to Arthur Timms Lookout and Mt Morgan Dam.
“It doesn’t matter where it is, I’m lucky to be wherever he takes me. He’s a very good driver,” said Lorna.
“”It’s been a wonderful morning – the nicest I’ve had for a long time.”
For Lorna, enjoying the pleasure ride in an iconic high-performance vehicle was about as far away as you can get from riding in a sulky as a young child.
Horse-drawn carriages were a common form of transport when Lorna was born in the bush near Wagga Wagga in New South Wales in 1919.
She lived through the Great Depression, raised by her father and grandfather before moving into a convent until she was 10.
As a teenager Lorna moved to Brisbane where she met her future husband James Craney, a Mt Morgan boy.
Together Lorna and James had two children and until the 1970s lived in Brisbane, where Lorna worked at the airport during the war years.
Lorna, who has six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, has lived in Mt Morgan for 32 years and moved to Carinity Summit Cottages five years ago.
As well driving Lorna around in his Corvette, Mr Cole also provided music and karaoke for her birthday party.
Lorna’s birthday sports car ride and pampering is one of a number of purposeful living experiences being arranged for Summit Cottages residents by staff.
“Lorna wanted to go for a drive around town because she hadn’t been in a car since she moved to Summit Cottages,” Carinity Summit Cottages activities officer Leeann Rolfe said.
“Some residents say they would like to attend a Central Queensland Capras rugby league game in Rockhampton, one wants to play a round of golf and others want to go to the horse races.
“A few, like Lorna, just want to go for a drive around Mt Morgan to see how the town has changed.”