WHEN Phyllis Pledger marked her 100th birthday on August 6, she joked that she was “ready for a recount”.
The Wynnum local celebrated the milestone with friends, past students and fellow members of the Wynnum Croquet Club at a special gathering on August 9 – fittingly, in the same year the club also celebrated its centenary.
Sharing the day with Ms Pledger were two other club members reaching significant milestones of their own – Una Ellwood, who turned 99 on August 15, and John Punchy, who celebrated his 90th birthday on the same day as Ms Pledger’s party.
Born in Nanango as the eldest of four girls, Ms Pledger was educated at Wynnum Central State School and Brisbane Girls Grammar School before embarking on a 45-year teaching career.
Her first posting was at Emu Creek near Warwick, followed by stints at Wynnum North Primary and Proston State School.
In 1958 she became one of the founding teachers at Manly West State School.
She went on to teach ancient history at Balmoral High School, where she served as senior mistress for 12 years, before becoming deputy principal at Sunnybank and principal of Rosewood High School – one of the state’s first female high school principals.
In 1986, she returned to Wynnum as principal of Wynnum North High School before retiring in 1988.
Away from the classroom, Ms Pledger has pursued her passions for bird watching, pétanque, croquet, aqua aerobics and travelling.
She attributes her longevity to “good food, a healthy diet, no alcohol, remaining active and taking Vitamin E”.
Wynnum Croquet Club President Noela Gray described Ms Pledger as a stalwart of the game.
“She has made a significant contribution that has stuck,” Ms Gray said.
The club, which is currently preparing a time capsule to be opened in 2075, also acknowledged the contributions of Mr Punchy, who as Vice President helped secure funding for the club’s kitchen, toilets, deck and walkways, and Ms Ellwood, who enjoyed almost four decades playing croquet before moving on to craft, knitting, puzzles and gardening.
Despite the fuss, Ms Pledger remains modest about her milestone.
“The number 100 just comes after 99,” she said.
