Woopi News - Community embrace of centenarian Mary Soulos

In 2022, Woopi News acknowledged how the residents of Campbell Street, Safety Beach, had embraced 98-year-old widow Mary Soulos, and other seniors, with kindness and connection. There is a risk of social isolation during the twilight years, especially after partners pass. No one is left behind in isolation on Campbell Street.

Mary lived independently for over 20 years after her husband, Peter, passed, knowing that she was safe at home and could ask neighbours if there was anything she needed. Mary knew that someone close by could assist in an emergency. She was also a warmly welcomed guest at street get-togethers, house dinner parties and celebrations.

Mary remained independent until her 99th year when a minor car accident ended her driving, and a fall in April 2023 resulted in a broken hip. She is now a resident at the Woolgoolga Retirement Village.

Neighbours convened a family and friends birthday party in Campbell Street. She received letters and cards from King Charles and Queen Camilla, the Governor General, His Excellency General the Honourable David John Hurley AC DSC (Retd) and Mrs Hurley and the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese,

If you’re seeking suggestions on how to foster a caring environment in your neighbourhood, particularly for seniors, both the Australian Red Cross and Neighbourhood Connect offer valuable ideas to consider.

https://www.redcross.org.au/act/action-catalogue/kindness/

https://www.neighbourhoodconnect.org.au/things-to-do-with-neighbours/

Mary has led an exciting life of wealth, destitution, car racing, travel and community service. Mary was born on 6 February 1924 in Sandgate, Queensland. She was the youngest daughter of Leonard Walmsley and Jean Gilmore, members of pioneering families from the St George and Surat Region, QLD. Leonard owned a sheep station at St George. He sold it in the early 1920s and brought two hectares of land on the Brisbane River across from New Farm Park. He went on to buy a sheep station in Normanton in the Gulf Country. A fledgling airline called Qantas supplied it by parachute.

Tragically, Leonard died in 1930 when Mary was six years old, and the family lost everything to drought and the Depression. After initial schooling on the Atherton Tablelands, Mary was sent to a school for ladies in Manly, Sydney, in 1934. She lived with her grandparents around the corner from the school. She developed a love for the beach, tennis and going to the movies. Her mother, Jean, worked hard to keep Mary, her three sisters and one brother in school.

By the 1950s, Mary had become the Personal Assistant of the CEO of Mobil Oil Australia (ExxonMobil from 1999), a position she held for 29 years. She lived in Randwick, Sydney, when she met her husband, Peter Soulos, at a friend’s dinner party. Peter, a Second World War veteran, was the only son of a wealthy Greek immigrant family who owned cafés in the Sydney CBD. Family benevolence allowed Peter to pursue his interests in car racing, travel and other hobbies. He raced and rallied an XJ Jaguar; Mary would navigate from the back seat. Peter and Mary travelled all over Australia in their beloved Jaguar cars over the coming years. After living in Sydney in the 1960s and 70s, Peter moved to Campbell Street Safety Beach to a beautiful home with expansive ocean views, high up overlooking the neighbourhood.

After Peter died of lung cancer in 2003, Mary began a new season in her late 70s, 80s, and 90s, devoting herself to getting out and enjoying activities with service clubs. She loved children but was not a mother herself; she became a surrogate grandmother to children on her street and is devoted to her nieces and nephews. She joined Legacy at Coffs Harbour in 2002, the Woolgoolga View Club and the Red Hat Society, which devotes itself to supporting women in pursuing fun, friendship, freedom, fitness and fulfilling lifelong dreams. Mary also joined the Woolgoolga Red Cross Branch in their 2014 Centenary year and proudly continued to be their eldest Member, supporting local fundraising activities, such as their Friendship Afternoon Teas.

Mary is partial to good Scotch and still enjoys the beach, listening to music and watching movies. Mary’s family, friends and neighbours are pleased about her 100th birthday, and they look forward to celebrating 101 amazing years in 2025!

✍ By Bob Breen OAM, Andrew Walmsley and Judy Jackson

📸 Andrew Walmsley