There is, however, something a little different about this year’s Mother’s Day celebration for the family. For the first time it will be held somewhere other than the home of the Kyabram resident of the last half century.
Mrs James has only been a resident of the Sheridan Aged Care facility at Kyabram District Health Service since January, funnily enough where one of her two daughters, Val Kennedy, is employed.
Mrs Kennedy was in Rochester until she was flooded out in October last year and has been renting in Kyabram at since that event.
The second of her “girls’’, Joy Wakefield, is a regular visitor to her mum’s room at the recently refurbished age care home and they won’t be the only ones by the sprightly great-grandmother’s side come Sunday, May 14.
She will meet the youngest of her six great-grandchildren for the first time on the Saturday before Mothers’ Day, which most of the family has set aside to make the trip to Kyabram to recognise the family matriarch.
Mrs James has six great-grandchildren (and five grandchildren), aged from 18 right down to the newest arrival, three-week-old Shelby Kennedy.
Shelby’s family is travelling from Bendigo, while others will travel from Melbourne and near Geelong to celebrate Mother’s Day.
Two of Mrs James’ other grandchildren will take a significant detour to their plans to see her, recognising the important role she has played in their lives.
“Two of her great-grandchildren have commitments at Wangaratta and are making a five-hour drive from Melbourne to Wangaratta,” Mrs Wakefield said.
‘’They are leaving early so they can come and see her.“
She said the family celebrated the special day every year.
"I don’t think we have ever not been with her on Mother’s Day,“ she said.
Mrs Wakefield, who travels from Mooroopna on a regular basis, said the two teenagers, 18 and 16, had not even considered not seeing their great-grandmother for Mother’s Day.
“She used to drop them off and pick them up every day from the Merrigum school,” Mrs Wakefield said.
Mrs James has had a significant role in the lives of all of her grandkids and great-grandkids.
She and her husband Don arrived in Kyabram when their daughters were in high school, Mr James taking up a position on a property owned by the O’Donnell family.
Don James eventually bought his transport business. He died four years ago at 91 years of age.
Longevity is “alive and well” in the family (Mrs James had three sisters and one brother), Mrs James’ older sister living to just shy of 103-years-old.
“She lived in her own immaculate house until she was 98. Doctors put a pacemaker in her at 94, which she always said kept her going,” Mrs Wakefield said.
“Another of mum’s sisters lived to 96 and another brother to 90.”
The long life, at least for Mrs James, was attributed in part to the time she spent in the garden.
“Mum is a gardener and she has always has plants of some sort, even in here,” Mrs Wakefield said, pointing to floral arrangements in the room.
“I miss the garden,” Mrs James added.
"It kept me young and active.’’
For many years Mrs James’ was a carer for her husband, who had a stroke in his 50s.
“She cared for him that whole period,” Mrs Wakefield said.
Mr James was a resident at Sheridan for the past four years of his life and every day his wife fed him lunch and dinner before getting him ready for bed and then returning to her own Haslem St home.
“She feels really comfortable here, having been her twice a day for such a long time,” Mrs Wakefield said.
The Haslem St garden always drew lots of comments from neighbours and passers by and was recently sold.
“Mother’s Day events and Christmas have always been held at mum’s place, along with lot of birthdays as well, so it was a little sad to see it go,” Mrs Wakefield said.
But this year it will be Sheridan that is decorated with flowers and Mother’s Day cards to recognise the love that the family has for the 95-year-old.
In the meantime, there is plenty on the agenda for the residents of Sheridan, who will have a Wednesday session for Mother’s Day crafts and a high tea on Friday.
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