Gwendoline 'Doris' Gatley turned 102 on Monday, but couldn't celebrate her birthday normally due to COVID

Doris, who lives in care at Toronto, couldn't celebrate in the usual way.

"We had ordered a cake and flowers and had organised a small morning tea for her," son-in-law Doug Saxon said.

"However, her nursing home had to enter lockdown due to a COVID outbreak."

Doris also spent Christmas alone in her room due to COVID.

"Doris still receives a copy of the Newcastle Herald every day so, if she could read a few lines in Topics about her birthday, I'm sure it would do a lot to make up for the disappointment of not having family members to celebrate her 102nd birthday," Doug said.

"COVID has been devastating for many like Doris who are in care."

Doris was born in Singleton on July 25, 1920.

This was the same day that Edward, Prince of Wales, visited the town.

Doris's mother Violet, whose family had migrated to Australia from Durham in England, was upset that she had to miss the visit.

Doris's father William was a descendant of German migrants Henry and Agnes Badior, who had arrived in Australia on the Beulah ship in 1849 to work in Hunter Valley vineyards.

William Badior was in the NSW Mounted Police at Redfern. He later went to western NSW and took up farming.

As a child, Doris lived on a farm at Glendon and attended Roughit School, which had one teacher.

She rode her horse Tommy to school each day. She often read a book during the journey, as Tommy knew the way.

After leaving school, she attended the Singleton tech college and completed a dressmaking course.

During the Depression, the Badior family moved to Waratah where her father worked at Newbolds refractory.

The house they lived in at Waratah was transported from Singleton, where it had been owned by the Nestle company that established a factory there.

Doris worked as a dressmaker.

During the Second World War, though, she worked with other women at Lysaghts in Mayfield to produce the Owen sub-machine gun. The Lysaghts factory produced 45,000 guns for the war effort.

In 1944, Doris married Powell Gatley at St Phillip's Church in Waratah.

The couple had three daughters - Judith, Robyn and Jennifer.

Doris enjoyed art and painting and was able to live in her home until the age of 98. She loved to cook and work in her rose garden.

With her aged-care home in lockdown on her birthday, a family celebration with birthday cake was postponed.

Doris celebrated her birthday with only one of her daughters present.

Her seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren wished her a happy birthday on Facetime.

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