Clarinda great-grandmother celebrates lucky run to 105th birthday

Jean Boucher is one of the few Victorians who can claim to have seen and survived most of the highs and lows of the 20^th century.

The Clarinda on the Park great-grandmother recently celebrated 105 years since her birth on 20 May 1921, with friends and family.

Born in Swan Hill as the youngest of seven children, an infant Jean moved with her family to Albert Park, spending the following 56 years in the inner southern Melburnian suburb, Middle Park and South Melbourne.

After growing up through the austereness of the Great Depression and World War II, she worked various jobs, most notably as a waitress for more than 20 years in the dining room at General Motors Holden in Port Melbourne.

Luck struck for Jean in 1964 when she was informed, via telegram, that she had won Tattersall’s first division lottery prize of £10,000, which is equivalent to roughly $180,000 today.

She split the prize in half with her sister Lillian, using the £5,000 to buy a house in Albert Park.

Jean raised two sons and a daughter, later enjoying eight grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

She met World War II veteran Thomas Leslie Lee later in life, spending 34 years together until his death in late 2005.

The couple bought a caravan and travelled around Australia on two occasions, as well as overseas trips to the US, Canada and New Zealand.

In 1978, the couple purchased a new unit in Clayton South where she lived until her move into Benetas’ Clarinda on the Park just before her 103^rd birthday in 2024.

Jean said the secret to a long and happy life was hard work, family and enjoying life and travel.