Queensland’s oldest resident turns 109

Great survivor Evelyn Vigor, Queensland's oldest resident, turns 109 on Friday.

Evelyn Vigor

Queensland's oldest resident, Evelyn Vigor, will celebrate her 109th birthday in Brisbane on Friday. (AAP)

If you want to know the secret to longevity, ask a 109-year-old great-great-grandmother.

Queensland's oldest resident, Evelyn Vigor, will celebrate her birthday in Brisbane on Friday, and says the key to a long life is to have faith and stress less.

"If you cant fix it, forget it," she said. "I just depend on the Lord to carry me through."

Born six weeks premature on a Laidley farm in 1906, Ms Vigor defied the doctor's bleak prognosis and went on to become a champion showjumper.

"I didn't give up easily. I'm still here," she said.

The centenarian continued to ride horses well into her 80s and has remained positive despite fracturing her hips in her 90s and surviving breast cancer at 102.

As the eldest of nine, Ms Vigor has outlived her siblings and three children.

She has 12 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren with a fourth on the way.

Her celebrations are guaranteed to be a family affair, with her brother Walter Davidson turning 100 and her grandson Jason Tilse turning 39 on the same day.

Ms Vigor - almost four years younger than Australia's oldest citizen, Sydney's Vi Robbins - will also be Queensland's most experienced voter when the state goes to the polls on January 31.


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Source: AAP


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