'WE'RE THE HAPPIEST OLDIES IN THE WORLD'

Meet the members of the ‘100 Club’, who reveal how to live a long and fruitful life

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Raising a glass of champagne in honour of her 101st birthday, a beaming Phyllis Hill says there are many secrets to her long life.

They include her loving but “very strict” parents. “You didn’t dare drink grog around them,” she laughs sipping her well-earned bubbles.

“I’ve also had a very easy life. I’ve never had any worries, I always watched what I ate – we never ate rubbish in our family.

“And my [late] husband Stanley – he was a beautiful, calm man.”

Even more remarkable than Phyllis’ age is that she belongs to a unique group: 10 centenarians all living in the same aged-care facility – the community-owned not-for-profit Peninsula Villages on the NSW Central Coast.

All “100 Club” members have lived through the Great Depression, two World Wars, and seen the introduction of such world-changing inventions from television to the internet.