A CLEVELAND retiree says working hard and looking after others are the secrets to living a long life.
Coral Mackee, who lives at Aveo Cleveland Gardens, will turn 100 on Thursday but does not expect anything to change once she passes the magical milestone and receives a letter of congratulations from the Queen.
She said she would still be the same woman that spent 94 years of her life living at Norman Park, where she raised her son Glenn and cared for her mother.
"My family moved there from Chermside and we spent two years in one house before moving over the street," Ms Mackee said.
"We lived in that house for 92 years, even after I got married to my husband Don."
Ms Mackee said she still had many good years ahead of her, having seen her mother live to 103 years old.
"Mum was of German descent and dad's parents were from Denmark and Sweeden," she said.
"They were very hard working people and all worked on a farm.
"I was a junior credit authoriser at Trittons, a furniture store on George Street. I worked there for 11 years after starting out doing temp jobs filling in for people who were away."
Ms Mackee said she and her husband came into a lot of money in 1984 and used it to take a three-month trip around the world.
"We left in May and went to England, Italy and all around there," she said.
"Then we went to America and stayed with my girlfriend in Nebraska.
"We saw a tornado while we were there and also saw the destruction after it had swept through."
Ms Mackee said she loved completing crossword puzzles, and her goal was to complete as many full books as she could in her spare time.
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