Apr 10, 2024

A Great-Grandmother’s Journey: From Cinema Screens to Centenarian Celebrations

A Great-Grandmother’s Journey: From Cinema Screens to Centenarian Celebrations
Xavier Jacobs celebrated her 100th birthday at the Carinity Brookfield Green residential aged care community in Brisbane [Source: Carinity Aged Care].

A bilingual great-grandmother who owned a cinema and was a violinist and gymnastics instructor, Xavier Jacobs can now add centenarian to her life resume.

A resident of the Carinity Brookfield Green aged care community in Brisbane, Xavier turned 100 on 8 April, 2024.

She was born in Pietersburg, South Africa in 1924, and was one of five sisters.

The only surviving sibling, Xavier, is bilingual, speaking both English and Afrikaans.

When Xavier was 16, she applied to join the army but was refused because she was considered too young. Xavier met her husband Tobias Jacobs, a railway clerk, in Pietersburg. 

They married there in February 1947, at the age of 23. The couple had four children but tragically, their daughter passed away three days after birth.

Their three sons – Kenneth (75), Trevor (71) and Brian (70) – all went on to become engineers.

During her working life Xavier served in administrative positions as a shorthand typist then an office worker for the railway – and owned businesses including a cinema.

She was also a gymnastics instructor and played the violin.

Xavier’s husband passed away at the age of 60 which left her widowed. She moved to Pretoria to be closer to her children and grandchildren and played an active and loving role in their lives.

Xavier loved to bake and always provided the family with delicious cakes. When the families went on holiday, she baked tins of a variety of biscuits to take with them.

A keen knitter, Xavier spoiled her grandchildren with knitted baby and toddler clothes. In her later years she kept all the family’s feet warm and was famous for her bed socks and knitted blankets.

Over the years Xavier’s three sons immigrated to Australia so she decided to relocate in 2011, at the age of 87.

Xavier’s sons and daughters-in-law have gifted her 10 grandchildren – with six great-grandchildren added to the family tree more recently.

Xavier likes to socialise and can be found chatting with Carinity Brookfield Green residents and staff or enjoying activities. She enjoys going out for coffee, watching movies, walks and staying active.

Described as a “real lady”, Xavier has always had a good sense of humour and is very much loved by her extended Carinity Brookfield Green family.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

82-year-old collects stories of older people making life better

  HelloCare recently published the story of a 93-year-old woman with dementia who released a pop single that raced to the top of the music charts. The story was wildly popular with our readers, and we received hundreds of responses from readers all over the world. But one response stood out. Audrey Guy, 82, wrote... Read More

Olympian’s grandmother faces deportation amid dementia battle

“She’s got nowhere to go.” Aussie Olympian Dominique du Toit is begging the government to let her dementia-diagnosed grandmother stay in Australia after 13 years of waiting for residency. Read More

The Importance of Wound Management in the Elderly

With a growing ageing population and increase in chronic diseases, chronic wounds are becoming more frequent. Often occurring in the elderly, chronic wounds are defined as wounds that take more than four to six weeks to heal. Pressure ulcers, which lead to chronic wounds, can cause high degrees of pain, discomfort and decreased mobility. Older... Read More
Advertisement