"It's a good life if you've got a good man and have a good family behind you."
So says new Hervey Bay centenarian, Joyce Hocroft, a Carinity Home Care client who turned 100 earlier this week.
One of four siblings, Joyce was born in Balmain in Sydney on 25 March 1925 and resided there until her marriage in 1952.
Joyce recalls that at the time Balmain was an industrial district, but is now residential and no longer a working class area due to its position on Sydney Harbour.
Some of Joyce's strongest memories of her youth include walking or catching trams to school, and spending Easter and Christmas holidays up in the Blue Mountains, to which her family travelled by train.
She remembers looking forward to the special treat of eating chicken for Christmas dinner, as they were far too expensive for her parents to purchase frequently.
Joyce didn't really get to enjoy her teenage years like today's youth do. As times were very tough, she left school at the age of 14 to contribute to the household income.
Coinciding with the outbreak of World War II, Joyce started working at Clifford Love and Co. (Uncle Tobys) in Sydney and worked there until she got married in 1952.
Growing up during the war, after hours Joyce also used to assist in the manufacture of camouflage netting for the armed services.
Joyce met her future husband, Arthur, just after her 21st birthday and the couple wed six years later.
Arthur had served with the American small ships during the war and was employed to move vast quantities of surplus war material from Sydney military bases, most of which was dumped at sea.
After marrying, the couple lived in Punchbowl in Sydney for the next 60 years. Joyce moved to Queensland a decade ago after Arthur passed away.
Once an avid gardener, Joyce now enjoys reading and taking in the view from her house which looks out towards K'gari (Fraser Island), where she can see birdlife and kangaroos.
She also loves drinking a nice coffee from the cafés in Hervey Bay and watching rugby league on television, particularly the Melbourne Storm and St George-Illawarra Dragons teams.
Interviewed by WIN News Wide Bay on her birthday, Joyce said her advice for a long life is to "make the most of what you've got, love the people that love you, and try and live a happy love."
Around 80 people including Joyce's two sons, two grandchildren and four great grandchildren - as well as relatives she hasn't seen for over 10 years - will attend her centenarian lunch this Sunday.
