Captain James Cook's lost ship Endeavour discovered after 250 years
The iconic vessel's alleged final resting spot was detailed in a recent report by the Australian National Maritime Museum, which had been searching for the lost ship since 1999.
'This final report is the culmination of 25 years of detailed and meticulous archaeological study on this important vessel,' said museum director Daryl Karp of the document, which he described as the 'definitive statement' on the project, Pen News reported. 'It has involved underwater investigation in the US and extensive research in institutions across the globe.'
During the British explorer's first expedition, between 1768 and 1771, the Endeavour circled the globe and became the first European ship to land in eastern Australia and to circumnavigate New Zealand.
The legendary ship fell into obscurity shortly thereafter: It was repurposed as a transport ship for British troops.
Endeavour was then sold off to the shipping company Mather & Co., before getting refitted and renamed the Lord Sandwich in 1775, when it formed part of the British fleet during the Revolutionary War.
Endeavour was finally scuttled off the coast of the US in 1778.
The sunken remains then lay at the bottom of the ocean for 2½ centuries until experts formally matched the ship with a wreck dubbed RI 2394, which was located in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island.
Researchers were able to confirm that it was indeed Cook's lost ship by comparing the wreckage with the vessel's historic plans, finding that the placement of certain timbers was a dead ringer for the locations of its main and fore masts in the outline.
Meanwhile, the wreck's measurements matched those taken during a 1768 survey of the Endeavour.
'The size of all the timber scantlings are almost identical to Endeavour, and I'm talking within millimeters – not inches, but millimeters,' declared Australian National Maritime Museum archaeologist Kieran Hosty. 'The stem scarf is identical, absolutely identical.'
He added, 'This stem scarf is also a very unique feature — we've gone through a whole bunch of 18th-century ship's plans, and we can't find anything else like it.'
If that wasn't proof enough, analysis of the wood revealed that the timber was British in origin.
This finding was consistent with reports that the Endeavour was repaired in 1776.
Despite the so-called 'preponderance of evidence,' ANMM has received some backlash over the alleged discovery. When the museum published its preliminary findings in 2022, its research partners at the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project refuted the claim, declaring that they were running point on the project and that the research was 'premature' and a 'breach of contract.'
ANMM acknowledged RIMAP's 'fine historical analysis and detailed artifact recording' in a statement, adding that while their fellow research org 'continues to accept that RI 2394 may be Endeavour,' they are 'not ruling out other candidate shipwreck sites.'
Nonetheless, ANMM archaeologist James Hunter claims that there are enough criteria to confirm the ship's identity. He pointed out that the Endeavour was 'intentionally scuttled,' meaning that the chances of 'finding artifacts that would provide an immediate identification, such as a bell, were very unlikely.'
'Anything that was of value would have been stripped out of that ship before it was sunk,' he said. 'But what has been recovered up to this point is indicative of an 18th-century time frame.'
'You'll never find a sign saying 'Cook was here,'' seconded Hosty. 'We've got a whole series of things pointing to RI 2394 as being … Endeavour.'
He added, 'And so far we found lots of things that tick the box for it to be Endeavour and nothing on the site which says it's not.'
Originally published as Captain James Cook's lost ship Endeavour discovered after 250 years
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What becomes of the cemetery? Community on edge with proposed church sale
A message hanging on the door of a 156-year-old church indicating a parish's intent to sell the beloved, historic building has surprised residents. The Holy Trinity Church at Kameruka in the NSW Bega Valley was one of the first churches built on the South Coast after British colonisation in Australia. But it's future had recently become uncertain. It was designed by architect Edmund Blackett, and built in 1869 by Charles Galli of Wolumla and volunteer labour. The church was built during the time of estate owner Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth, who donated the land of the church and the cemetery to the Anglican Church. Ken Traise, chairman of the Sapphire Coast Anglican Parish, told Bega District News it was regrettable to sell churches. But unless there was a large source of funding, he said they fall into rack and ruin. "You really need people in residence or on site, or they're just going to be deteriorating," Mr Traise said. "The reason it's being proposed for sale is it's been virtually inactive for many, many years. 'There's no congregation out there, we don't have volunteers out there, and it becomes a maintenance issue. "It's similar to a lot of other churches and rural building around the place. "They just become isolated because, over time, our population movements have been from rural areas to the coast. "We had three significant old masonry churches. The biggest is St. Peter's in Candelo, St. John's in Tantawangalo, about 10 minutes to the west, and Kameruka, five minutes in the east. "We just can't keep the maintenance up on those churches, so the decision as a parish was to use the funding from selling to focus on the mission at St. Peters." Mr Traise said the parish council made the decision to consolidate those three churches into a single building. "When we did the sale at Tantawangalo, we did have three to four public consultations. It was at those consultations that we explained we would sell the two isolated churches," he said. "The decision to sell Kameruka is not set in concrete at this stage. "It's a recommendation from our parish, and we made that recommendation to the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn." Mr Traise understood the frustrations people were having, worried to lose history or what would come of the cemetery, where descendants still living in the Valley had ancestors. But he stressed there would be limits placed on what would happen to the building if it was heritage-listed. "With regard to the cemetery, there are rules and regulations in respect to the maintenance of the cemetery, and they've got to be followed," Mr Traise said. "There certainly would be no issues with the on-going access, and I can understand people are having concerns about that. 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"You really need people in residence or on site, or they're just going to be deteriorating," Mr Traise said. "The reason it's being proposed for sale is it's been virtually inactive for many, many years. 'There's no congregation out there, we don't have volunteers out there, and it becomes a maintenance issue. "It's similar to a lot of other churches and rural building around the place. "They just become isolated because, over time, our population movements have been from rural areas to the coast. "We had three significant old masonry churches. The biggest is St. Peter's in Candelo, St. John's in Tantawangalo, about 10 minutes to the west, and Kameruka, five minutes in the east. "We just can't keep the maintenance up on those churches, so the decision as a parish was to use the funding from selling to focus on the mission at St. Peters." Mr Traise said the parish council made the decision to consolidate those three churches into a single building. "When we did the sale at Tantawangalo, we did have three to four public consultations. It was at those consultations that we explained we would sell the two isolated churches," he said. "The decision to sell Kameruka is not set in concrete at this stage. "It's a recommendation from our parish, and we made that recommendation to the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn." Mr Traise understood the frustrations people were having, worried to lose history or what would come of the cemetery, where descendants still living in the Valley had ancestors. But he stressed there would be limits placed on what would happen to the building if it was heritage-listed. "With regard to the cemetery, there are rules and regulations in respect to the maintenance of the cemetery, and they've got to be followed," Mr Traise said. "There certainly would be no issues with the on-going access, and I can understand people are having concerns about that. "Those cemetery regulations have only recently been amended and upgraded, and require access to private cemeteries and cemeteries on public land to be maintained." A message hanging on the door of a 156-year-old church indicating a parish's intent to sell the beloved, historic building has surprised residents. The Holy Trinity Church at Kameruka in the NSW Bega Valley was one of the first churches built on the South Coast after British colonisation in Australia. But it's future had recently become uncertain. It was designed by architect Edmund Blackett, and built in 1869 by Charles Galli of Wolumla and volunteer labour. The church was built during the time of estate owner Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth, who donated the land of the church and the cemetery to the Anglican Church. Ken Traise, chairman of the Sapphire Coast Anglican Parish, told Bega District News it was regrettable to sell churches. But unless there was a large source of funding, he said they fall into rack and ruin. "You really need people in residence or on site, or they're just going to be deteriorating," Mr Traise said. "The reason it's being proposed for sale is it's been virtually inactive for many, many years. 'There's no congregation out there, we don't have volunteers out there, and it becomes a maintenance issue. "It's similar to a lot of other churches and rural building around the place. "They just become isolated because, over time, our population movements have been from rural areas to the coast. "We had three significant old masonry churches. The biggest is St. Peter's in Candelo, St. John's in Tantawangalo, about 10 minutes to the west, and Kameruka, five minutes in the east. "We just can't keep the maintenance up on those churches, so the decision as a parish was to use the funding from selling to focus on the mission at St. Peters." Mr Traise said the parish council made the decision to consolidate those three churches into a single building. "When we did the sale at Tantawangalo, we did have three to four public consultations. It was at those consultations that we explained we would sell the two isolated churches," he said. "The decision to sell Kameruka is not set in concrete at this stage. "It's a recommendation from our parish, and we made that recommendation to the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn." Mr Traise understood the frustrations people were having, worried to lose history or what would come of the cemetery, where descendants still living in the Valley had ancestors. But he stressed there would be limits placed on what would happen to the building if it was heritage-listed. "With regard to the cemetery, there are rules and regulations in respect to the maintenance of the cemetery, and they've got to be followed," Mr Traise said. "There certainly would be no issues with the on-going access, and I can understand people are having concerns about that. "Those cemetery regulations have only recently been amended and upgraded, and require access to private cemeteries and cemeteries on public land to be maintained." A message hanging on the door of a 156-year-old church indicating a parish's intent to sell the beloved, historic building has surprised residents. The Holy Trinity Church at Kameruka in the NSW Bega Valley was one of the first churches built on the South Coast after British colonisation in Australia. But it's future had recently become uncertain. It was designed by architect Edmund Blackett, and built in 1869 by Charles Galli of Wolumla and volunteer labour. The church was built during the time of estate owner Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth, who donated the land of the church and the cemetery to the Anglican Church. Ken Traise, chairman of the Sapphire Coast Anglican Parish, told Bega District News it was regrettable to sell churches. But unless there was a large source of funding, he said they fall into rack and ruin. "You really need people in residence or on site, or they're just going to be deteriorating," Mr Traise said. "The reason it's being proposed for sale is it's been virtually inactive for many, many years. 'There's no congregation out there, we don't have volunteers out there, and it becomes a maintenance issue. "It's similar to a lot of other churches and rural building around the place. "They just become isolated because, over time, our population movements have been from rural areas to the coast. "We had three significant old masonry churches. The biggest is St. Peter's in Candelo, St. John's in Tantawangalo, about 10 minutes to the west, and Kameruka, five minutes in the east. "We just can't keep the maintenance up on those churches, so the decision as a parish was to use the funding from selling to focus on the mission at St. Peters." Mr Traise said the parish council made the decision to consolidate those three churches into a single building. "When we did the sale at Tantawangalo, we did have three to four public consultations. It was at those consultations that we explained we would sell the two isolated churches," he said. "The decision to sell Kameruka is not set in concrete at this stage. "It's a recommendation from our parish, and we made that recommendation to the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn." Mr Traise understood the frustrations people were having, worried to lose history or what would come of the cemetery, where descendants still living in the Valley had ancestors. But he stressed there would be limits placed on what would happen to the building if it was heritage-listed. "With regard to the cemetery, there are rules and regulations in respect to the maintenance of the cemetery, and they've got to be followed," Mr Traise said. "There certainly would be no issues with the on-going access, and I can understand people are having concerns about that. "Those cemetery regulations have only recently been amended and upgraded, and require access to private cemeteries and cemeteries on public land to be maintained."
The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
What becomes of the cemetery? Community on edge with proposed sale of church
A message hanging on the door of a 156-year-old church indicating a parish's intent to sell the beloved, historic building has surprised residents. The Holy Trinity Church at Kameruka in the NSW Bega Valley was one of the first churches built on the South Coast after British colonisation in Australia. But it's future had recently become uncertain. It was designed by architect Edmund Blackett, and built in 1869 by Charles Galli of Wolumla and volunteer labour. The church was built during the time of estate owner Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth, who donated the land of the church and the cemetery to the Anglican Church. Ken Traise, chairman of the Sapphire Coast Anglican Parish, told Bega District News it was regrettable to sell churches. But unless there was a large source of funding, he said they fall into rack and ruin. "You really need people in residence or on site, or they're just going to be deteriorating," Mr Traise said. "The reason it's being proposed for sale is it's been virtually inactive for many, many years. 'There's no congregation out there, we don't have volunteers out there, and it becomes a maintenance issue. "It's similar to a lot of other churches and rural building around the place. "They just become isolated because, over time, our population movements have been from rural areas to the coast. "We had three significant old masonry churches. The biggest is St. Peter's in Candelo, St. John's in Tantawangalo, about 10 minutes to the west, and Kameruka, five minutes in the east. "We just can't keep the maintenance up on those churches, so the decision as a parish was to use the funding from selling to focus on the mission at St. Peters." Mr Traise said the parish council made the decision to consolidate those three churches into a single building. "When we did the sale at Tantawangalo, we did have three to four public consultations. It was at those consultations that we explained we would sell the two isolated churches," he said. "The decision to sell Kameruka is not set in concrete at this stage. "It's a recommendation from our parish, and we made that recommendation to the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn." Mr Traise understood the frustrations people were having, worried to lose history or what would come of the cemetery, where descendants still living in the Valley had ancestors. But he stressed there would be limits placed on what would happen to the building if it was heritage-listed. "With regard to the cemetery, there are rules and regulations in respect to the maintenance of the cemetery, and they've got to be followed," Mr Traise said. "There certainly would be no issues with the on-going access, and I can understand people are having concerns about that. "Those cemetery regulations have only recently been amended and upgraded, and require access to private cemeteries and cemeteries on public land to be maintained." A message hanging on the door of a 156-year-old church indicating a parish's intent to sell the beloved, historic building has surprised residents. The Holy Trinity Church at Kameruka in the NSW Bega Valley was one of the first churches built on the South Coast after British colonisation in Australia. But it's future had recently become uncertain. It was designed by architect Edmund Blackett, and built in 1869 by Charles Galli of Wolumla and volunteer labour. The church was built during the time of estate owner Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth, who donated the land of the church and the cemetery to the Anglican Church. Ken Traise, chairman of the Sapphire Coast Anglican Parish, told Bega District News it was regrettable to sell churches. But unless there was a large source of funding, he said they fall into rack and ruin. "You really need people in residence or on site, or they're just going to be deteriorating," Mr Traise said. "The reason it's being proposed for sale is it's been virtually inactive for many, many years. 'There's no congregation out there, we don't have volunteers out there, and it becomes a maintenance issue. "It's similar to a lot of other churches and rural building around the place. "They just become isolated because, over time, our population movements have been from rural areas to the coast. "We had three significant old masonry churches. The biggest is St. Peter's in Candelo, St. John's in Tantawangalo, about 10 minutes to the west, and Kameruka, five minutes in the east. "We just can't keep the maintenance up on those churches, so the decision as a parish was to use the funding from selling to focus on the mission at St. Peters." Mr Traise said the parish council made the decision to consolidate those three churches into a single building. "When we did the sale at Tantawangalo, we did have three to four public consultations. It was at those consultations that we explained we would sell the two isolated churches," he said. "The decision to sell Kameruka is not set in concrete at this stage. "It's a recommendation from our parish, and we made that recommendation to the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn." Mr Traise understood the frustrations people were having, worried to lose history or what would come of the cemetery, where descendants still living in the Valley had ancestors. But he stressed there would be limits placed on what would happen to the building if it was heritage-listed. "With regard to the cemetery, there are rules and regulations in respect to the maintenance of the cemetery, and they've got to be followed," Mr Traise said. "There certainly would be no issues with the on-going access, and I can understand people are having concerns about that. "Those cemetery regulations have only recently been amended and upgraded, and require access to private cemeteries and cemeteries on public land to be maintained." A message hanging on the door of a 156-year-old church indicating a parish's intent to sell the beloved, historic building has surprised residents. The Holy Trinity Church at Kameruka in the NSW Bega Valley was one of the first churches built on the South Coast after British colonisation in Australia. But it's future had recently become uncertain. It was designed by architect Edmund Blackett, and built in 1869 by Charles Galli of Wolumla and volunteer labour. The church was built during the time of estate owner Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth, who donated the land of the church and the cemetery to the Anglican Church. Ken Traise, chairman of the Sapphire Coast Anglican Parish, told Bega District News it was regrettable to sell churches. But unless there was a large source of funding, he said they fall into rack and ruin. "You really need people in residence or on site, or they're just going to be deteriorating," Mr Traise said. "The reason it's being proposed for sale is it's been virtually inactive for many, many years. 'There's no congregation out there, we don't have volunteers out there, and it becomes a maintenance issue. "It's similar to a lot of other churches and rural building around the place. "They just become isolated because, over time, our population movements have been from rural areas to the coast. "We had three significant old masonry churches. The biggest is St. Peter's in Candelo, St. John's in Tantawangalo, about 10 minutes to the west, and Kameruka, five minutes in the east. "We just can't keep the maintenance up on those churches, so the decision as a parish was to use the funding from selling to focus on the mission at St. Peters." Mr Traise said the parish council made the decision to consolidate those three churches into a single building. "When we did the sale at Tantawangalo, we did have three to four public consultations. It was at those consultations that we explained we would sell the two isolated churches," he said. "The decision to sell Kameruka is not set in concrete at this stage. "It's a recommendation from our parish, and we made that recommendation to the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn." Mr Traise understood the frustrations people were having, worried to lose history or what would come of the cemetery, where descendants still living in the Valley had ancestors. But he stressed there would be limits placed on what would happen to the building if it was heritage-listed. "With regard to the cemetery, there are rules and regulations in respect to the maintenance of the cemetery, and they've got to be followed," Mr Traise said. "There certainly would be no issues with the on-going access, and I can understand people are having concerns about that. "Those cemetery regulations have only recently been amended and upgraded, and require access to private cemeteries and cemeteries on public land to be maintained." A message hanging on the door of a 156-year-old church indicating a parish's intent to sell the beloved, historic building has surprised residents. The Holy Trinity Church at Kameruka in the NSW Bega Valley was one of the first churches built on the South Coast after British colonisation in Australia. But it's future had recently become uncertain. It was designed by architect Edmund Blackett, and built in 1869 by Charles Galli of Wolumla and volunteer labour. The church was built during the time of estate owner Sir Robert Lucas-Tooth, who donated the land of the church and the cemetery to the Anglican Church. Ken Traise, chairman of the Sapphire Coast Anglican Parish, told Bega District News it was regrettable to sell churches. But unless there was a large source of funding, he said they fall into rack and ruin. "You really need people in residence or on site, or they're just going to be deteriorating," Mr Traise said. "The reason it's being proposed for sale is it's been virtually inactive for many, many years. 'There's no congregation out there, we don't have volunteers out there, and it becomes a maintenance issue. "It's similar to a lot of other churches and rural building around the place. "They just become isolated because, over time, our population movements have been from rural areas to the coast. "We had three significant old masonry churches. The biggest is St. Peter's in Candelo, St. John's in Tantawangalo, about 10 minutes to the west, and Kameruka, five minutes in the east. "We just can't keep the maintenance up on those churches, so the decision as a parish was to use the funding from selling to focus on the mission at St. Peters." Mr Traise said the parish council made the decision to consolidate those three churches into a single building. "When we did the sale at Tantawangalo, we did have three to four public consultations. It was at those consultations that we explained we would sell the two isolated churches," he said. "The decision to sell Kameruka is not set in concrete at this stage. "It's a recommendation from our parish, and we made that recommendation to the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn." Mr Traise understood the frustrations people were having, worried to lose history or what would come of the cemetery, where descendants still living in the Valley had ancestors. But he stressed there would be limits placed on what would happen to the building if it was heritage-listed. "With regard to the cemetery, there are rules and regulations in respect to the maintenance of the cemetery, and they've got to be followed," Mr Traise said. "There certainly would be no issues with the on-going access, and I can understand people are having concerns about that. "Those cemetery regulations have only recently been amended and upgraded, and require access to private cemeteries and cemeteries on public land to be maintained."
The Advertiser
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Once the children moved out, the couple jetted off overseas in the 1970s, visiting European cities such as Italy, Greece, Portugal and the south of France. They eventually settled in their last home together on Galoola Drive, Nelson Bay. "She lived in her Nelson Bay house until she was 102," Mrs Owens said. "She was mowing the lawn until she was 97 and still driving," she said. The almost-107-year-old has four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. "She is turning 107, and still mentally doing good, so it's pretty great," Mrs Owens said. For the big day, Mrs Owens' brother will come to spend a lunch with herself and their mother. Clara (Win) Follett is turning 107 years old. Her secret? Salt and a little bit of scotch. "Good food is the main thing; we didn't have sweets and ice cream and all this muck," she said. "Work hard, use your brains, don't do what other people do, do your own thing." Sitting with her daughter, Sandy Owens, at Mayfield Aged Care, Mrs Follett reminisced about her childhood on a sheep property in Merrriwa. Born on August 18th 1918, as Clara Winsome Collins, most called her Win from a very young age. The youngest of eight, with five brothers and two sisters, Mrs Follett spent her early years riding horses and hunting rabbits. "I didn't play with dolls, I played with hammers and saws and things my brothers played with," she said. "When I was 18, I used to roll my father's cigarettes, back when they had real tobacco." The 106-year-old hasn't smoked since the 1960s, but she busted out the cigarette rolling skills a few years ago, and turns out, she still has it. "She hasn't lost her touch," her daughter said. At the age of 10, Mrs Follett started school in Muswellbrook, but she skipped a few grades. "I knew more than the other kids, all my brothers and sisters had taught me," she said. After World War II, she married her husband, Albert Kinglesy Follett, in Muswellbrook. Thirteen years her senior, Mr Follett had grown up in Scone on a dairy farm. The couple settled on a dairy farm at Meadows in the Adelaide Hills district with their two children, Daryl and Sandy. After a few years, they travelled in a small caravan pulled by their trusty Holden car from Shepparton in Victoria up to Brisbane in Queensland. Eventually, they bought a block of flats in Port Macquarie, in an area surrounded by vegetable gardens and rural properties. "She was always outside, always doing the tiling floors, building things, and she was always handy," Mrs Owens said. "She was a good golfer too," she said. Once the children moved out, the couple jetted off overseas in the 1970s, visiting European cities such as Italy, Greece, Portugal and the south of France. They eventually settled in their last home together on Galoola Drive, Nelson Bay. "She lived in her Nelson Bay house until she was 102," Mrs Owens said. "She was mowing the lawn until she was 97 and still driving," she said. The almost-107-year-old has four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. "She is turning 107, and still mentally doing good, so it's pretty great," Mrs Owens said. For the big day, Mrs Owens' brother will come to spend a lunch with herself and their mother. Clara (Win) Follett is turning 107 years old. Her secret? Salt and a little bit of scotch. "Good food is the main thing; we didn't have sweets and ice cream and all this muck," she said. "Work hard, use your brains, don't do what other people do, do your own thing." Sitting with her daughter, Sandy Owens, at Mayfield Aged Care, Mrs Follett reminisced about her childhood on a sheep property in Merrriwa. Born on August 18th 1918, as Clara Winsome Collins, most called her Win from a very young age. The youngest of eight, with five brothers and two sisters, Mrs Follett spent her early years riding horses and hunting rabbits. "I didn't play with dolls, I played with hammers and saws and things my brothers played with," she said. "When I was 18, I used to roll my father's cigarettes, back when they had real tobacco." The 106-year-old hasn't smoked since the 1960s, but she busted out the cigarette rolling skills a few years ago, and turns out, she still has it. "She hasn't lost her touch," her daughter said. At the age of 10, Mrs Follett started school in Muswellbrook, but she skipped a few grades. "I knew more than the other kids, all my brothers and sisters had taught me," she said. After World War II, she married her husband, Albert Kinglesy Follett, in Muswellbrook. Thirteen years her senior, Mr Follett had grown up in Scone on a dairy farm. The couple settled on a dairy farm at Meadows in the Adelaide Hills district with their two children, Daryl and Sandy. After a few years, they travelled in a small caravan pulled by their trusty Holden car from Shepparton in Victoria up to Brisbane in Queensland. Eventually, they bought a block of flats in Port Macquarie, in an area surrounded by vegetable gardens and rural properties. "She was always outside, always doing the tiling floors, building things, and she was always handy," Mrs Owens said. "She was a good golfer too," she said. Once the children moved out, the couple jetted off overseas in the 1970s, visiting European cities such as Italy, Greece, Portugal and the south of France. They eventually settled in their last home together on Galoola Drive, Nelson Bay. "She lived in her Nelson Bay house until she was 102," Mrs Owens said. "She was mowing the lawn until she was 97 and still driving," she said. The almost-107-year-old has four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. "She is turning 107, and still mentally doing good, so it's pretty great," Mrs Owens said. For the big day, Mrs Owens' brother will come to spend a lunch with herself and their mother. Clara (Win) Follett is turning 107 years old. Her secret? Salt and a little bit of scotch. "Good food is the main thing; we didn't have sweets and ice cream and all this muck," she said. "Work hard, use your brains, don't do what other people do, do your own thing." Sitting with her daughter, Sandy Owens, at Mayfield Aged Care, Mrs Follett reminisced about her childhood on a sheep property in Merrriwa. Born on August 18th 1918, as Clara Winsome Collins, most called her Win from a very young age. The youngest of eight, with five brothers and two sisters, Mrs Follett spent her early years riding horses and hunting rabbits. "I didn't play with dolls, I played with hammers and saws and things my brothers played with," she said. "When I was 18, I used to roll my father's cigarettes, back when they had real tobacco." The 106-year-old hasn't smoked since the 1960s, but she busted out the cigarette rolling skills a few years ago, and turns out, she still has it. "She hasn't lost her touch," her daughter said. At the age of 10, Mrs Follett started school in Muswellbrook, but she skipped a few grades. "I knew more than the other kids, all my brothers and sisters had taught me," she said. After World War II, she married her husband, Albert Kinglesy Follett, in Muswellbrook. Thirteen years her senior, Mr Follett had grown up in Scone on a dairy farm. The couple settled on a dairy farm at Meadows in the Adelaide Hills district with their two children, Daryl and Sandy. After a few years, they travelled in a small caravan pulled by their trusty Holden car from Shepparton in Victoria up to Brisbane in Queensland. Eventually, they bought a block of flats in Port Macquarie, in an area surrounded by vegetable gardens and rural properties. "She was always outside, always doing the tiling floors, building things, and she was always handy," Mrs Owens said. "She was a good golfer too," she said. Once the children moved out, the couple jetted off overseas in the 1970s, visiting European cities such as Italy, Greece, Portugal and the south of France. They eventually settled in their last home together on Galoola Drive, Nelson Bay. "She lived in her Nelson Bay house until she was 102," Mrs Owens said. "She was mowing the lawn until she was 97 and still driving," she said. The almost-107-year-old has four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. "She is turning 107, and still mentally doing good, so it's pretty great," Mrs Owens said. For the big day, Mrs Owens' brother will come to spend a lunch with herself and their mother.
