Nine decades have flown by for Wangaratta resident Nola Adamo, who celebrated her 90th birthday with her loved ones on Saturday, 9 August.

The 90-year-old spent the afternoon at the Wangaratta Club with friends and the many generations of the Adamo family, extending to the Porters and the Chandlers.

She also celebrates her 70 years of marriage this year with her husband, Charlie.

Generosity and selflessness come to mind when described by son Stephen Adamo, someone who is always "thinking of everyone else before herself."

Nola Dawn Adamo was born at St Joseph's Hospital on 25 July, 1935, the fourth-born child to parents William and Ena Petta.

She grew up on a dairy farm in Meadow Creek near Moyhu, and thoroughly embraced this lifestyle.

Each morning, she would milk the cows before heading off to Meadow Creek State School.

After a while, the family moved to a Hardisty Street residence; a modified garage built by William.

During her time here, she attended Wangaratta High School until she was 14, where she then began working at the telephone exchange in Murphy Street on the switchboard.

At one point, she lived in Gippsland and worked with her sister at a bakery for a few months before moving back to town.

On 25 June, 1955, Nola married Charlie at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, and this was followed by a chilly outdoor reception at St Patrick's Hall.

That same day, they caught a train to Melbourne and caught an overnight train to Adelaide for their honeymoon.

Now returning to Wangaratta, they rented a garage in Greta Road for two pounds a week.

Three years later, they purchased their dream home in Irwin Avenue for 3500 pounds.

The couple still reside there to this day.

Together, they had three children; the eldest Lynne was born in 1957, followed by Julie in 1962, and finally Stephen in 1965.

She is the loving and caring grandmother to Judd, Daine, Dylan, Tah-lia, Billy and Charlize, and the great-grandmother to seven.

Nola led a simple life and has only ever travelled within Australia.

She's taken an astonishing 40 trips to Coffs Harbour among other places.

She immensely enjoyed going to the football with her daughter Lynne to watch her grandsons Judd and Daine play for Wangaratta.

Additionally, she was an avid theatre-goer, often taking trips to Melbourne to watch shows.

Her favourite hobbies include knitting, embroidering and pottery.

Aside from her job at the telephone exchange, Nola has also worked as a clerical clerk at the Woolen Mills and as a school cleaner at Wangaratta West Primary School.

She retired in 1988 at 53 years old.

One of her fondest memories was the day World War II ended in 1945.

She vividly recalls celebrating by running down the street with jam tins before the neighbours told them to hush down and head back inside.

Information sourced from Stephen.