MORE than 100 years of wisdom twinkles in the eye of Jean ‘Cookie’ O’Bree — 105 on Sunday to be exact.
But ask Cookie herself and she may tell you a different story.
“How old are you going to be?” best friend Marie Macumber asks at her bedside in Swan Hill District Health’s Extended Care Unit.
“25,” Cookie replies, somewhat mischievously.
The pair begin a playful banter on the importance of telling the truth.
This simple exchange reveals the strong friendship between the two women, despite their 42 year age difference.
Cookie’s myriad of life experiences, anecdotes and wisdom are some of the things that Marie loves most about her friend.
“I have always loved to listen to her speak about what it was like in the old days, what her farm was like, how life was — I could just listen to her forever,” Marie said.
Originally from Western Australia, Cookie completed primary school at White Gum Valley Primary School, before moving to Kalgoorlie.
But before long, Cookie’s family moved to Ivanhoe in New South Wales, which saw her complete her schooling via “postal school” and meet the man whom she was later to marry.
At age 23, she married Ernest ‘Ernie’ O’Bree, a local sheep farmer.
For more on this story, pick up a copy of Friday’s Guardian (January 16).
