MARY West's life has had its ups and downs but, thankfully, most of it was spent with her "wonderful" husband Albert 'Dick' Graham.
Mary was born in St James in 1938, where her mother was born, and her father was a "mad Irishman" who enlisted the day the war broke out and returned six years later.
"My father wasn't around for most of my childhood so when he returned I didn't know who this strange man was in my house," she said.
"When Dad enlisted Mum took the five of us, one brother and three sisters, to Glenrowan where two of Mum's brothers were living.
"Mum had been a school teacher so she did some teaching there and my earliest memories are from there, including the day the war ended.
"Our house was in Siege Street where the railway line went straight past and you always knew when it was Australians on it because they would sing out 'Where's Ned?'.
"Now the only time they rang the school bell was for a fire so when they rang it to signal the war ending one boy came running down yelling where was the fire."
During the war, Mary was looked after by the three men in her life; her two uncles and her eldest brother who was eight years older.
"Uncle Sandy would amuse us by bringing out a tray full of buttons and putting some sixpences in there to find and his specialty was making 'flippies' which were like a flapjack with meat and cheese; my son Peter still loves them.
"Uncle Bruce's specialty was to get Mum's biggest baking dish out and fill it up with gravy with everything he could find in it; Vegemite, tomato sauce, whatever ther...