Audrey Dormon with her great grandson Henry Comyn
Great grandmother Audrey Dormon was the toast of a Mudeford care home when she celebrated her 102nd birthday.
Audrey was the first resident at Colten Care’s Avon Reach home 22 years ago and was joined for her birthday tea by daughter Ann, great grandson Henry Comyn and a host of staff and residents.
Asked for the secret of her longevity Audrey said: “Tennis, lots of sun and Audrey’s Mixture!”
Henry, 23, who affectionately refers to his great grandmother as ‘GG’, explained: “Each day GG drinks something the staff here now call ‘Audrey’s Mixture’ – a combination of sweet sherry and cranberry, which she swears by.
“She has had a fantastically exciting life and has a great sense of humour.”
Staff at Avon Reach marked Audrey’s birthday by presenting her with gifts and a homemade cake in the shape of the number 102.
They and residents then toasted her continued good health with champagne.
Angela Bennett, Home Manager, said: “Audrey is a joy to look after. Everyone adores her and it’s wonderful to help her celebrate her special birthday.”
Audrey was born in North London in 1913, shortly before the outbreak of the First World War.
King George V was on the throne and Emily Davison, a suffragette, was crushed beneath his horse at the Derby that same year.
Audrey with her special cake to mark her 102nd birthday
One of five children, Audrey was regarded as ‘the sporty one’ and excelled at tennis, golf and skiing.
It was through sport that she met her future husband, Graham, at the age of 14.
The couple, who married in 1937, were together for 49 years until Graham passed away in 1986.
After the Second World War, Audrey travelled extensively in Africa due to her husband’s work as an engineer with Kenya Railways.
In 1981, she and daughter Ann won the Ladies’ Tennis Doubles Cup at the famous Kampala Club.
Unfortunately it was to be Audrey’s tennis ‘swansong’, as painful arthritis prevented her from playing any further games.
In 1962, after 16 years in Africa, Audrey and Graham returned to England, where they retired and set up home in Highcliffe.
Audrey has two grandchildren, Tony and Jackie, and as well as Henry, two other great grandchildren, Sophie and Lucy.
Audrey’s celebration coincided with Care Home Open Day, a nationwide initiative in which care homes open their doors to their local communities.
Thousands of care homes across the UK take part every year, including Colten Care homes across Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.
