By Marcus Uhe
It was a special day at Calvary Hallam on Tuesday 28 June as they celebrated the 100th birthday of Helena Strycharczuk.
The great-grandmother recognised the occasion with coffee and cake among fellow residents and staff at an afternoon tea.
Ms Strycharczuk was born in Karolewo, Poland, where she was one of seven children (four sisters and two brothers).
She worked on a farm, which she thought was “heaven” before migrating across the world to Australia in 1988, following the footsteps of her daughter and her brother.
Helena and her late husband, Joef, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 98, had six children together, and she has been blessed with seven grandchildren and even a few great-grandchildren.
Having worked in a private nursing home, Ms Strycharczuk now lives in the Hallam facility and quickly assumed the mantle of Rumikkub champion.
She plays every day and the fellow residents and staff cannot beat her.
Despite her age, she keeps her brain ticking through the use of her iPad, which she uses to keep up to date with family and friends, and read the news.
She credits her longevity to her devotion to God and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, where she was a regular attendee every Saturday morning for many years.
“I believe God looks after you,” she said.
