A resident at Cessnock’s Calvary Retirement Community, Linda (nee Maslen) celebrated her 100th birthday on Monday with friends and family and was overwhelmed with the love and support she received on the day.

Born and raised at Bobs Farm, Nelson Bay, Linda met her husband Keith while visiting a cousin in Muswellbrook and they married soon after.

They had three children – Connie, Fay and Betty – and lived in Muswellbrook where they ran a fruit and vegetable farm for close to six decades.

Linda said that her “clean” lifestyle, including eating lots of fruit and vegetables and breathing in the country air, was maybe why she had enjoyed such a long life.

She also kept fit and was a champion tennis player.

“If there was a game on, I would be playing,” she said.

Up until a year ago, Linda still lived independently at a small unit in Muswellbrook.

Her daughter Betty said that she had she worked very hard with Keith making a living on the farm, but that the hard work had made her a very strong woman.