Age might have slowed Aunty Jessie Williams down, but only a wee bit.
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Born on the banks of the Nambucca River in Nambucca Heads on November 18, 1923, she has seen unimaginable changes occur during her long life.
Not least of these is the rejuvenation of her native Gumbaynggirr language, which as a child she was forbidden to speak.
Aunty Jessie has played an active role in that process, being a board member of Murrbay Language and Cultural Co-Operative since its incorporation in 1996.
The mother of two boys and three girls and many more grand-children and great-grandchildren, Aunty Jessie was feted yesterday (Wednesday) at Muurrbay by friends and family including a special birthday sing-a-long by the children from Bellwood’s Giiguy Gamambi Preschool (see video below):
And the secret to her longevity … well, the consensus from those around seemed to be that chocolate and chardonnay have helped.
Aunty Jessie herself kept ‘mum’ but her trademark mischievous sparkling eyes said it all.