Juliana ADDISON (Wendouree) (13:46): Happy 100th birthday to Ruby Fagan. I met Ruby for the first time at Bupa Aged Care in Delacombe on her birthday on Valentine’s Day and was immediately impressed by her. She was in excellent health and enjoying all the festivities to mark her centenary.

Ruby has lived a remarkable and full life, and I believe that is the secret to her longevity. Ruby is a mother of three, she rode a bike until she was 83 and only moved into aged care at 99. She thoroughly enjoys reading outside and knitting. All her life she has been an independent woman and a great contributor to her local community of Warracknabeal. She attended meetings many nights a week, volunteering for organisations including the RSL and the blind auxiliary, as was being an active member of her church. Ruby was well known for making many pavlovas, sometimes 10 at a time, for her local groups.

Thank you to the staff at Bupa for putting on a wonderful celebration for Ruby’s family and other residents. It was a particularly wonderful moment when two residents wished Ruby a happy birthday. One was 102 and the other was 103 – between them 305 years of wisdom and experience.

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Congratulations to the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute on another successful Ballarat Cycle Classic, raising an extraordinary $309,000 in donations. Well done to all riders, whether they rode around Lake Wendouree or opted for the longer, more demanding rides over the weekend. Importantly, all money raised stays in Ballarat for cancer research.

You can take a look at more of my speeches to Parliament here.