Marjorie Elizabeth Lucy Bostock, 108 years young, was ready to take her place in the 2018 Commonwealth Games Queens’s Baton Relay in Ipswich.
The city’s oldest resident – and 7th oldest person in Australia – loved her sport and was honoured to have been nominated as one of the local baton bearers.
Family member Carolyn Booth said had Marjorie been well enough, she would have been there “yahooing” with everyone else.
“She was a centre-of-attention person. She would have loved the experience. We had been talking to the Commonwealth Games people about her uniform,” Carolyn said.
“But she didn’t quite make it.”
Marjorie passed away peacefully on 1 October, in her own home with loved ones by her side.
Cr Cheryl Bromage, Ipswich City Council’s representative on the Queen’s Baton Relay local planning group, said Marjorie had been nominated as the city’s oldest person and because of what she had contributed to the community over more than a century.
“It is very sad … everyone was looking forward to Marjorie being a part of the baton relay and probably one of, if not the oldest, baton bearer in the world,” Cr Bromage said.
Carolyn said Marjorie talked about foot races and three-legged races as a youngster growing up, and her love of cricket and other sports.
“She would have wanted to be watching the Games on the Gold Coast for sure,” she said.
Carolyn, grandson Ian Bostock, granddaughter Carol Bostock, and other family members Lenore, Sharee and Rochelle were in attendance when an emotional Division 10 Councillor David Pahlke read a glowing tribute to Marjorie during Condolences and Memorials at Council on Tuesday.
Cr Pahlke made a point of her age, 108.5 years.
“Marjorie was born at Mt Morgan 2nd April, 1909, to William J. Lilley and Lucy Elizabeth Dagg. She grew up in the Ulam area on the family farm and attended Upper Ulam state school along with her brothers and sister, Osborne, Gladys and Mervyn.
“A tremendous hard worker, she was up before the sun milking the cows and then she’d drive the cream 10 miles by sulky to meet the train.
“She married Charles Edward Dundee Bostock in 1930 and had five children, Ronald, Mervyn (Bluey), June (Freya), Graham (Snow) and Keith.
“They lived on a cane farm in the Mackay area before moving to Ipswich after Charlie was transferred to Amberley Air Base.
“Marjorie always had a driving need to be on the land, with enough room for a cow and a vegetable garden so she could be self-sufficient and feed her family. She subsequently bought 11 acres at Ebbw Vale, where she and Charlie built the family home.
“Over the course of her life she travelled every highway of this great country. Often of no fixed address, she resided with whichever family member needed her most, or could put her to best use.
“From mustering cattle on Dundee, Taroom, to caring for Mervyn’s children when they lost their mother, or panning for gold in North Queensland, she’d roll up her sleeves and get to work.
“Fiercely protective of her five children, this continued with her 14 grand-children, 26 great grandchildren, and eight great, great grandchildren.
“Marjorie finally settled down at Willowbank and it was here in her comfy home amongst the gum trees that she spent her final years.
“The previous Mayor of Ipswich said to her on her 108th birthday – “gee Marjorie, you’re sending me broke. I’ve been coming here for nine years with certificates and flowers every year – and you just keep on keeping on”.
“In testament to the calibre of person she was, “Grandma” Bostock’s final years were spent surrounded by people who loved and respected her.
“Her door was always open with a steady stream of visitors dropping in, with everyone offered a cup of tea and a bed whether they needed it or not.
“Considered the ‘lynch pin’ of the Bostock family, they’d gather each year for her birthday always fearing it would be her last.
“The family wished to express their appreciation and gratitude to two ladies – Carol Bostock, her granddaughter, and Carolyn Booth, a distant cousin. The Bostock family will remain forever in their debt for the loving and respectful way they cared for Grandma.
“Marjorie Elizabeth Lucy Bostock, 108.5 years – your memory will live on forever in the yarns of you we’ll tell.”
Some funny stories from the family …
Son Ron tells a tale of how Grandma got back on a horse in her 70s and mustered cattle all day on his cattle property Dundee. Drought was upon the land and Grandma, as usual, had come to help out.
Ron needed more riders than he had and Grandma put up her hand. She’d no sooner got on the horse when he saw a young heifer had somehow dropped back behind them. Climbing back on his own horse he’s about to go after the heifer – then sees Grandma is already on to it.
“Like she’d never gotten out of the saddle, there she is cantering out around the escapee and swiftly bringing her back into the mob. Strong, fearless, competent – all words that describe the woman she was even in her senior years.”
A favourite with family, friends and all the kids …
With the birth of her first great grandchild Kody, Grandma’s loving involvement in her family’s lives continued. She first went to school for ‘show and tell’ in 1988, with this continuing for the next 30 years with Matilda proudly taking her for ‘show and tell’ in 2015.
Not only her own great-grandchildren, but numerous other ‘honorary children’ who belonged to extended family and close friends, thought of her as a grandmother and carted her off to school for Grandparents day or show and tell – and she loved every minute of it.
She learned to Skype at 100 and used it all the time …
Grandma’s hundredth birthday was a real event with over 100 people gathering at grandson Ian’s place. The party was kept as a surprise for Grandma with Carol somehow convincing her she was getting dressed up to get her photo taken.
When the horse and cart arrived she clambered on board like she was still a girl back on the family dairy farm. When they turned in the front gate and drove down the lane in style to where over 100 family and friends were waiting and she realised what was going on, she was astounded. “Blimey,” she said “anyone would think I was the Queen!” (as she gave a Queen-like wave, having not yet left the carriage). It was an amazing day with Grandma giving an outstanding speech.
Grandma had always had a goal – she wanted to live to 100 and receive a congratulatory ‘telegraph’ from the Queen. When she was presented with a framed congratulatory message from the Queen she became quite tearful, and for once was lost for words. She sat around the bonfire listening to the yarns and telling some more of her own and she even got on the dance floor at one stage and showed us a couple of moves.
Cracking the whip, reading without glasses, never touching medication …
At her 104th birthday party Ian and Great Grandson Kody were playing around with their whips, showing off how good they were when Grandma comes striding out with her walking stick saying “give us a go at that, I used to be pretty good with a whip once upon a time”.
She picked up the rather heavy stockwhip for the first time in probably 30 or more years, and like the true country girl that she was, she swung that whip around and cracked it like she’d been doing it every day of her life.
Of course the clip made it onto YouTube – not too many Grandma’s can say they are a YouTube legend at 104. Ian says when he watches that clip from time to time he is still amazed at how easily she cracked that whip. Not just once but over and over again. Crack, crack, crack. Family members were yelling out “Stop Grandma you’ll dislocate your shoulder, you’ll crack yourself off your feet.”
But she was unstoppable. As always.
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