One of Tasmania's oldest residents has celebrated her 109th birthday, but not in the way she could have expected.
With coronavirus restrictions in place around the country, Launceston's Chloe Duncan could only have a small gathering of nursing staff, along with two family members, inside her aged care room on Wednesday for the big celebration.
"We couldn't even give her a kiss, or touch her, it was really hard, but we did give her some chocolate," said Chloe's daughter, Joy Fitch.
"My brother Tony and I were able to go see her, and she does have quite a few bunches of flowers — we all sent her some."
Mrs Duncan was born in 1911 and is now living through her second pandemic.
She endured the Spanish Flu in 1918 and as a young girl survived two world wars, the Great Depression and the 1929 Tasmanian floods.
"She used to talk about the Spanish Flu," Mrs Finch said.
"Papers and bread and things used to be passed through a tiny gap in the window — they were only allowed to open it so high, and they'd have to reach out through the window.
"They got through it."
She always liked her vegetables
Mrs Finch said her mother's secret to living a long life came down to diet.
"She's always liked her vegetables and loves spending time in the garden," she said.
"It's a bit hard now but she used to get out there a lot."
Mrs Duncan used to be ballerina and also had a passion for knitting.
"Mum used to make a lot of our clothes when we were young," Mrs Finch said.
"She'd love getting dressed up — they used to call her Lady Chloe. She loved life."
Too many grandchildren to count
Mrs Finch is the second eldest of Mrs Duncan's 11 children and says this birthday for her mother has been tough without a lot of family around.
"We've lost count of how many grandchildren and great-grandchildren she has — there's so many in Sydney and Queensland," she said.
"It's been very hard this year.
"You need proof of a recent flu shot before entering the aged care facility, along with a temperature check."
Once the restrictions ease, Mrs Finch said she was excited to see her family from interstate come to visit.
"I'm excited to see my children come down from Queensland — that's what I'm looking forward to most," she said.
"I'm 88 years old and I don't want to live to be 100!".
