Narrandera resident Lorna Reberger has seen the transition from buggy to motor car, two World Wars and man reaching the moon as she turns 100 this week.

Born at home on Farm 558, Fivebough, on December 20 1920, she is the oldest child of Dick (Richard) and Nell Taylor’s 10 children.

Educated at Fivebough Primary, a one-teacher school, she then went on to Hay High School, where she was a boarder due to there being no high school in Leeton at the time.

Lorna travelled to school by train and did not get home very often, but when she did she was a great help to her mother.

After completing her education she was employed as a housekeeper at Merribee Station south of Binya. 

A woman ahead of her time, when the male cook resigned she was asked if she would consider stepping up to fill the position.

She agreed as long as she was paid a man’s wage, but her boss Harold Killen said they could not possibly do that so she resigned.

A short time later Mr Killen contacted her and agreed to pay her a full man’s wage.

Lorna’s transport to and from Merribee was her own horse and sulky.

As part of her job she had to travel to Binya in her sulky to collect bread on a regular basis.

On one occasion her horse Twilight saw some emus and was spooked and bolted. Eventually the horse jumped a fence and Lorna and the sulky ended up on one side of the fence and the horse on the other.

It was at Merribee Station that Lorna met her husband Russell Reberger. They were married at Leeton on June 5 1943 and had four daughters Maureen, Lesley, Glenys and Merryl in four years. They both worked very hard to bring up their daughters.

Russell and Lorna lived most of their married life at Fivebough and were involved in that community.

Lorna worked at the Leeton Milk Depot bottling milk into glass bottles and also at Letona Cannery during the fruit season.

Russell and Lorna did a lot of rabbit-trapping and would bring the rabbits to Narrandera and sell them to Chitty Dalgleish.

Lorna became a competent dressage rider with the MIA Dressage Club and competed successfully in many competitions at Leeton, Griffith, Wagga, Narrandera and Canberra until she was 80-years-old.

Russell passed away in Narrandera on May 17 1993 aged 75. Lorna lived independently at her own home enjoying gardening, reading and knitting until she had a fall and broke her pelvis.

She then decided to enter care at Teloca House when she was 96.

To this day she still reads and knits squares for charity.

Lorna has been very happy at Teloca and is much loved by fellow residents and staff.

She has nine grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.

Sadly, due to COVID her family are unable to give her a 100th birthday party to celebrate this wonderful occasion.