Living marvel … Ruby Baberton just turned 102, making her one of Brimbank’s oldest residents. 65605 Picture: JOE MASTROIANNI
By Natalie Gallenti
RUBY Baberton may be 102, but she can’t understand what all the fuss is about.
The inspirational Albion resident has lived through wars and the Depression; she has seen the invention of television and the internet – yet her fondest memories are of the nights she would spend dancing.
There was a twinkle in her eyes as she recalled the nights she would spend at the Maribyrnong Boat Club.
“We used to have a lot of fun,” Mrs Baberton told Star.
“There would be dancing every night. You only live once.”
And age is simply a number for this spritely character.
“Why worry about it? You just have to accept it.”
Despite her years, Mrs Baberton still manages to get out on the town a fair bit, with her sister Betty, 92.
“My daughter rings me up and says, aren’t you two ever at home?” Betty said.
“We don’t go to the pictures anymore, because there’s not much we want to see.”
However, the pair enjoy being part of the local Probus club and visiting friends.
Mrs Baberton has spent most of her life in Albion and only left the area when she married her husband Bill. The couple, both die-hard Western Bulldogs fans, spent years living in Footscray, with Ruby returning to the quiet suburb in 1983 after her husband passed away.
And what is the secret to having such a long and enriched life?
“We ate a lot of home grown vegetables. We would pick a carrot out of the ground, give it a quick wipe and that was it.
“Our mother was a good cook so we always ate well, but we went on a diet once. After three days, we were starving and mum said ‘are you going to eat carrots and lettuce tonight’, we have never dieted since.”
Ruby Baberton is the subject of this week’s Pride in Brimbank, a series Star launched to highlight the stories of everyday heroes who take pride in their community. If you know someone that fits the bill, call Star on 9933 4814.
