Laurel Dooley has seen a lot of change in a century of life.
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The Opal Aged Care resident will celebrate her 100th birthday on Friday with five generations of her family including her newest great-great-grandson Maverick, who is a week old.
Family has always been a key part of Mrs Dooley's life and over the years it has gradually expanded. She has four children - Lyndsey, Barbara, Ruth and Michael,18 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren and 23 great-great-grandchildren.
No doubt the avid cook will be looking forward to her birthday cake. Her daughter Ruth Hutton said she was an incredible cook and loved making a wide range of dishes. She also loves gardening.
"She was a great cook. She used to make the best sponge and cream horns and mushrooms - they were to die for. She used to made fruit cakes for the debutantes," Mrs Hutton said.
"She loved her garden and she loved the grandkids - she still gets a lift out of seeing them."
Mrs Dooley was living on her own and taking care of herself up until six years ago. Since then her dementia has progressed.
She was born near Singleton and met her husband Frank while she was working as a housekeeper.
They married and lived part of their life at Millers Forest. Tragically, Frank died in a tractor accident in 1963.
"She lived all around Maitland all of her life," Mrs Hutton said
"Out at Rosebrook they had a farm, dad was a share farmer. We moved out to a farm at Millers Forest in November 1955 and then onto another one later."