Joined by friends for 84th birthday

Former Woy Woy resident Ms Olive Brittliff celebrated her 84th birthday on Friday, June 24, at McQuoin Park Hostel at Waitara with her closest friends.

Woy Woy Social Justice Group coordinator Mr Bernard Edwards said his friendship with Ms Brittliff has flourished through years of attending groups with her at St John the Baptist Church in Woy Woy.

In March of this year, Ms Brittliff's declining health made it necessary for her to move to an aged-care facility.

"Olive realised she needed a higher level of care than she could have living alone," said Mr Edwards.

"Olive has been a committed follower of the Catholic faith all her life and chose to move to a facility that was managed according to a distinctly Catholic ethos.

"She found this in McQuoin Park, at Waitara, a hostel founded by the Sisters of Mercy.

"Olive embraced enthusiastically the rich hospitality of the staff and residents at McQuoin Park, but has been grieving for the daily contact with her many friends on the Peninsula.

"Recently, a group of 20 of her closest friends from the church of St John the Baptist at Woy Woy, travelled by bus to McQuoin Park to spend the day with Olive celebrating her birthday.

"Several of the residents with whom Olive had established a friendship joined the celebrations.

"To the delight of Olive's friends, Molly Darmody, also a former parishioner of St John the Baptist church, and now a resident of McQuoin Park, was present at the celebration."

Ms Brittliff declared the celebration her "best birthday ever".

Email, 12 Jul 2011 Bernard Edward, Woy Woy