Celebrating the wonderful long life of Pauline Potts, the Hunter’s oldest woman

Mrs Potts, who was the oldest person in the Hunter, lived independently in her own Central Coast home until she was 102 and then became a resident of HammondCare Waratah. She celebrated her 106^th birthday in June.

Daughter Gail Curby, of Hamilton, said family had the opportunity to gather at her bedside on Sunday and say farewells after Mrs Potts herself acknowledged she was nearing the end.

“She felt it was time to go. She told me she loved me and wanted reassurance that she had been a good mother. And of course she had been a wonderful mum,” Gail said.

She said the family were appreciative of HammondCare staff at Waratah and the level of care provided to her mum in her final years.

There will be a private cremation with an event to celebrate her life planned later.

Born in 1918 in Enfield in Sydney’s west, Mrs Potts attended Burwood Girls’ High School but was forced to finish school early at the height of the Great Depression and get a job as a secretary with energy provider AGL.

"I was fairly lucky because I was quite good at shorthand and typing,” she told the Newcastle Herald last year.

“And because I had that experience, I was able to find a job and, in those days, if you had a good job, you stuck to it,” she said. “Not like the kids today - they're able to change jobs fairly easily.”

She served four years with the Australian Women’s Army Service during World War II, finishing as a sergeant.

She met Gordon Potts, who served with the Australian Army in the Middle East and New Guinea, towards the end of the war. The two married in 1946.

Sadly, Mr Potts died just 46 in 1961 after years of poor health arising from his war service years, including battling Malaria. This left Mrs Potts with three young children to raise alone.

Pauline lived an active life into her senior years, first finishing her HSC at TAFE before an Arts degree at Macquarie University.

She was always big on adventure. On one occasion, she travelled around the United States on a Greyhound bus, jumping off at various places to catch up with old pen friends.

 

Always noticeable was her desire to look immaculate, regardless of her age, and her sparkling sense of humour.

In Pauline’s later years she faced increasing public interest in her incredible longevity, but there was little advice she could share.

In an interview with The Australian last year, she said her secret was living a normal life “perhaps with a bit more activity during WWII”, adding “of course, I didn’t expect to still be here”.

Waratah Residential Manager Khardene Kilmartin said she and the other staff felt privileged to support Mrs Potts since her arrival in August 2020.

While staff always feel the passing of a resident, Mrs Potts’ passing has been especially hard for the care team.

“Right to the end she continued to have her poise and her politeness,” Khardene said. “She was always a lady who loved a giggle.”