Turning 100 last week, she has lived a life full of unexpected adventures, quiet victories, and lessons that generations still carry forward. In a surprise visit, Emily Joyce Taylor welcomed Gazette journalist Afraa Kori into her home, offering a glimpse into a century well lived.
When I arrived at Emily’s front door in Pakenham, she had no idea I was coming. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she opened the door — part confusion, part amusement.
“Oh goodness, you shouldn’t have!” she said.
This was no ordinary interview. Emily’s family had secretly arranged the visit, afraid that if they told her in advance, she’d politely refuse the attention.
Even as she ushered me inside her neatly kept home, Emily insisted she didn’t deserve the recognition. It’s a humble sentiment that perfectly sums up who she is.
At 100 years old, Emily has lived through a century of change, from wartime letters and washboards to smartphones and self-serve checkouts yet she remains as grounded as ever.
She carries herself with the quiet dignity of someone who’s seen both hardship and happiness and never stopped being thankful for either.
When asked how it feels to reach 100, she smiled. “I’m just glad to get out of bed in the morning and walk,” she said. “I think I’m very fortunate. There are people out there worse off.”
Born and raised on an eight-acre farm, Emily grew up in a world that was simple but far from easy.
Her father was a milkman for 35 years, and life revolved around hard work, family, and doing what needed to be done.
She remembers long days helping around the home, lighting the copper to heat water for baths, and drying clothes in the cold winter air.
“We didn’t have much,” she recalled. “You just did what you had to do.”
Those early years, marked by simplicity and self-reliance, laid the foundation for the woman she became – practical, humble, and endlessly resilient.
Like many young women of her generation, Emily started working as soon as she left school. Her first job was at a general store before taking a position at Clyde Post Office. She later
worked in a leather factory making gloves, and eventually at the tobacco company W.D. & H.O. Wills.
But the best thing she ever found through work wasn’t a paycheck — it was her husband. “Where I worked in the city, that’s where I met him,” she said, eyes lighting up at the memory.
Their relationship began in a time of war. Her husband left to serve as a gunner and light spotter in the Second World War, stationed in New Guinea, and the two kept in touch through letters.
“I wrote to him for two years,” she smiled. “I didn’t think it would work out, but it did.”
Their first date was on New Year’s Eve in 1941, and by the following May, they were engaged. But her father had one firm rule: no daughter of his would marry before turning 21. Emily waited three long years, and when the day finally came, she never looked back.
“He was an awesome man,” she said. “There were times he struggled to provide for the family, but he’d always give somebody else something.”
Emily and her husband went on to build a large, loving family of 11 children. Her family tree now spans five generations, with 27 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.
“I’m very proud of all of them. They are hard workers. My husband was a workaholic and that’s where they got it from,” she said.
She’s watched her children grow, build homes, and raise families of their own. When Emily lost her husband in February 2002, it marked one of the most difficult chapters of her life. Yet even in grief, she found ways to keep moving forward.
Travel became her therapy, from touring New Zealand and France to exploring Dubai, England, and across Australia.
She also found connection and community through the Narre Warren Senior Citizens group, which she joined more than 22 years ago. There, she discovered the joy of new friendships and familiar routines.
“I like dancing, bingo, and socialising,” she said. “I still drive, cook my own meals, go shopping, and get my nails done.”
Looking back on her life, Emily hopes to inspire others to “be kind, honest, and to always support one another”. Her words are simple, but her life shows just how meaningful they can be.
