Stawell’s Elena Lipovas has celebrated a major milestone, becoming a centenarian on Monday.
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The celebrations on the Queen’s Birthday weekend were low-key, but Mrs Lipovas was joined by family and friends for a 100th birthday party at the McPherson Smith Nursing Home in Stawell.
Born in Lithuania, Northern Europe, Mrs Lipovas worked on her family's self-sufficient farm until the Second World War.
She then lived in displaced persons camps throughout Europe. It was in one of these camps in Germany where she met and married her husband Nikalojus Lipovas.
Elena and Mr Lipovas relocated to Melbourne in 1948.
Mrs Lipovas lived in Nunawading and worked on an assembly line producing hand tool components.
Sadly, Mr Lipovas was killed in a car accident in Melbourne in 1961.
After injuring her shoulder in a fall in 2014, Mrs Lipovas decided to move to Stawell to be closer to her son Richard and daughter-in-law Kaye.
Richard is a retired teacher, having worked at the Stawell Technical School and then Stawell Secondary College.
Elena celebrated her milestone with a special lunch at the nursing home where she received a visit from Northern Grampians Shire Mayor, Cr Murray Emerson, who presented Elena with flowers to mark the special milestone.
Elena said she was delighted to have reached 100 years of age and that it was a great thrill to have received a special letter from Her Majesty the Queen, congratulating her on turning 100.
