By ALESHA CAPONE
ANNA Spudvilas’ family and friends had 100 reasons to smile last Thursday.
Mrs Spudvilas, who was born on 5 July 1912, celebrated her 100th birthday at the Allanvale Private Nursing Home in Altona Meadows.
The centenarian was born the same year the Titanic sank and French aviator Henri Seimet made the first non-stop flight from Paris to London.
Mrs Spudvilas’ daughter Regina said her mother was born in Lithuania, one of six siblings for a preacher and his wife.
After World War II was over, Mrs Spudvilas and her husband Nickodemus applied to leave the country.
The couple lost a daughter, aged around eight years old, to meningitis during the war.
Regina said her Mum and Dad were given the option to re-settle in either America, Australia or Germany.
“My father said he’d never heard of Australia, so they chose to come here,” she said.
“The war was hard and Mum did not talk about it much.”
After leaving their home country during 1946, Mr and Mrs Spudvilas moved to Richmond and South Melbourne before settling in the West.
Mrs Spudvilas worked at a glass factory in Yarraville for many years and her husband was employed by a Clifton Hill brick manufacturer.
The couple built a home in Newport, where Mrs Spudvilas lived until her husband died during 1980.
Mrs Spudvilas then moved to Altona and finally Point Cook where Regina cared for her mother for a decade, until she moved into the Allanvale Private Nursing Home. Where, her daughter said, she had received tremendous support and care.
In addition to Regina and her brother Ron, Mrs Spudvilas has four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren aged 19 and 20.
Regina described her mother as generous and kind, in addition to being a wonderful cook and talented at sewing.
“She is giver. If she had $10 in her pocket she would give you $9.99 and keep one cent,” Regina said.
