Mary Wilkins, who lives at Regis The Gardens in Corlette, will turn 100 on November 1. It will be her 64^th birthday celebrated in Australia.

Mrs Wilkins was born in Coventry, Warwickshire in England in 1917. She married Frank Spencer Wilkins in 1940.

During WWII they lived in Coventry. Their house was bombed in the Coventry Blitz. They were then sent to Cumberland where Mr Wilkins was a chemist at the government’s ammunition factory making TNT. 

After the war Mr Wilkins worked as an industrial chemist for Courtaulds and was appointed technical manager of Courtaulds Australia in late 1952. 

The Courtauld factory at Tomago began in the post-war years to manufacture synthetic fibres especially for motor vehicle tyres.

Negotiations between the State Government and Courtaulds regarding their proposed factory led to the construction of the Hexham Bridge in 1952 to replace the punts that crossed the Hunter River. 

The Wilkins’ moved to Tomago in early 1953 with their three children Julia, Marilyn and Michael. Soon after making the move, they became Australian citizens.

Courtaulds built their factory off Tomago Road in the early 1950s and brought key factory workers from Britain to begin operations in 1953 and to train others.

One hundred and fifty British families migrated to Australia between 1950s and 1970s, which lo the expansion of Raymond Terrace as new housing needed to be built to accommodate the workforce.

The Wilkins family lived opposite Tomago House until the factory closed in the 1970's.

During the 1955 floods they were cut off from Raymond Terrace. The home was on a small rise, meaning they were saved flooding. 

Mr and Mrs Wilkins were active members of the Tomago and Raymond Terrace community and members of Rotary.

In the 1960s they built a weekender in Corlette where they enjoyed boating and fishing. Following Mr Wilkins’ retirement they moved to Corlette permanently. Mrs Wilkins moved out of the family home after her husband died in 2010.