By Brendan Rees
A 93 year-old Cranbourne man has celebrated a rare feat he thought he would never see.
His great-great grandson Dustin James Britter was born on 13 January at Swan Hill Hospital weighing nine pound seven, meaning he is now the fifth generation in the same family.
There are nine decades separating Dennis Mitchell and his newly born great-great-grandson.Little Dustin joins three females in the family, including mum Jessica Beasy, 23, grand-mother Jan Bryent, 43, and great-grandmother Sue Grima, 64.
Ms Grima, who lives in Cranbourne said her dad, Mr Mitchell was proud and “over the moon” with the news.
Ms Grima said she visited her granddaughter at Swan Hill the day after Dustin was born.
“She surprised us all. She’s a beautiful mum. He (Dustin) was actually born on my daughter’s birthday,” she said.
She said getting the family together for a photo at the same place at the same time was a rarity but fortunately the family met at Mr Mitchell’s home in Cranbourne on March 11.
“We don’t get together very often but when we do really lovely.”
She said not much was planned for Easter with the family as she and her husband are in the process of building a house in Longwood.
At 17, Ms Grima came out to Australia with her parents in 1971 from Southampton, England.
“My mum and dad were 10 pound poms. They came out here with me and my brother in 71. It was just the four of us. Now our family has expanded that much,” she said.
She said it was very life changing: “I left all my friends behind and came out here and starting a whole new life.”
“I’ve got two daughters in Swan Hill. My brother’s in Adelaide so I don’t see him now unfortunately.”
