Selfless Shepherd marks 110 years
It is little wonder Ada Furby is treated like royalty at Leederville's Villa Pelletier Hostel.
Today, the woman who first called Australia home in 1923 will again be the centre of attention at the aged care facility when she celebrates her 110th birthday.
The WA Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages cannot be certain about who is the State's oldest person but it is believed the title belongs to Ms Furby.
She was born in England in 1903 and travelled to Perth aged 20 for a holiday with her father.
She became ill when they were due to go home and was taken to the Good Shepherd Convent in Leederville to recover while her father returned to Britain.
But life alongside the Sisters of the Good Shepherd proved the perfect match and she never returned to England. She spent more than 40 years with the convent, helping vulnerable girls in care.
Good Shepherd area leader Sister Geraldine Mitchell, who has known Ms Furby for 42 years, said she had a generous spirit.
"Helping people is her life, she lives to help others and she is very unselfish," she said.
Villa Pelletier manager Joyce D'Bayan said Ms Furby was a much-loved member of the community. "Ada is a fighter for life," she said. "She loves being with people and she loves life. I love her for that."
