Happy 100th Birthday Nellie

Miss Nellie Gill, who was born in Rowville on 6 February 1904, celebrated her 100th birthday, with a morning tea-¬party at the Old Colonists Association's Rushall Park Retirement Village in North Fitzroy last month.
Nellie's niece Elaine Hatfield and nephew George Gill attended with several of Nellie's friends from Berwick and representatives of the local council. The Principal and school captains of Mulgrave Primary School and the Principal and two Vice Principals of Dandenong High School were also there to honour Nellie at her party.
Nellie is the granddaughter of George and Mary Ann Gill who settled in Rowville on a 155 acre property south of Wellington Road in 1857. Nellie was born in the old Gill homestead that stood behind the oak trees at the foot of Taylors Lane. She was baptised Helene Sophia Gill but when Mrs Ted Row of Stamford Park came to see the baby she exclaimed, "She's Sweet Nell of Old Drury", a reference to the famous actress and singer of the time, Nellie Stewart, who had married Mrs Row's brother in-law, Richard Row.
And thus she was known as Nellie from that day on.
Nellie went to school at Lysterfield and Mulgrave and then was one of the first students to be enrolled at Dandenong High School when it opened in 1919. Nellie worked as a teacher and domestic servant but most of her life was spent in caring for children. She was last employed by Berwick Council's Home Help service and worked with them right up to the age of 77.

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