BETTY Wiles, 90, has amazed residents at Adventist Retirement Village with her 5am bike rides and is now spreading Christmas cheer with her collection of dolls.
Ms Wiles spent an entire weekend setting up a Christmas display that features a manger, choir, model trains, dolls in festive dresses and, of course, the big man himself - Santa Claus.
Ms Wiles' dolls, like her bike riding, have become the talk of the retirement village, with residents eagerly anticipating a change of display every month or two.
Her dolls adorn an old servery which she helped transform into a display case after receiving $700 from management upon moving into the complex.
She changes the display for things like Easter, St Patrick's Day, New Year's Day and the Melbourne Cup.
"It is a full time job I think," Ms Wiles said. "Every time I pack them (the dolls) in the car, bring them over and then take the ones that I don't want home.
"It took me all day Sunday to do the Christmas display. I spent Saturday choosing the ones that I wanted at home so it was really a weekend job."
Ms Wiles said the residents loved looking at her display, which featured dolls that she made with her friends during the 1980s and 90s.
"They sit in here and watch me do it," she said. "They say it is better than looking at the servery with dirty dishes in it."
The manger and house in the Christmas display were made by Ms Wiles' late husband Gordon, who died in 2010.
She said Christmas was not the same without him but her festive display was a homage to his life.
"He used to do all the stands that the dolls are on," Ms Wiles said.
"Christmas used to be my favourite time of the year when I had Gordon. We used to decorate the windows in our house.
"Gordon used to get up and put streamers all over the house. But then when he passed away I came here and the rest is history."
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