There aren’t too many times in life when an older adult is ID checked for their age, but for Samuel ‘Mick’ Mullins it has become a common occurence with his 105th birthday right around the corner.
The Cannon Hill local was born on 5th October 1921 and lived at Ascot in his younger years.
“We lived just around the corner from the old picture theatre and I ended up selling lollies, peanutes and chocolates there when I was nine or 10,” Mick said.
“I did the first year of junior and then I got a job at the railway because my grandfather told my mother to get me into the examinations for Lad Porters.
“Of all those that sat for it, I think I ran third and all three of us started work on the same day – 21st December 1935, when I was 14 years old.”
After seven years into his career with the railway, Mick took some time off during the war and started working south of Brisbane where he stumbled across the love of his life – Georgina.
“I was working at Logan Village during the war and it happened to be my 21st birthday.
“She was at Jimoomba, the next station up and there was a train coming through so I thought I’ll just go up and see her.
“It was funny because people called me Mick, her family thought I was Catholic and it was Friday so they thought they’d better not offer me a stew so they gave me scrambled eggs.
“We were engaged on 15th February and decided to make the wedding 15th February the next year in 1944.”
After starting their life together officially in Brisbane, Mick and Georgina moved up to Monto, then inland to Toowoomba and over to Beaudesert before coming back to Cannon Hill in the 1960s.
Mick still lives in the home they built 60 years ago with visits from the Bolton Clarke Home and Community Support team helping him to continue to live independently.
“I grew up in the depression and quite honestly went to bed hungry every night and even though we never missed a meal, it was just never enough.
“I still cook for myself every day – I make a grocery list every Thursday and my daughter Bev buys it for me.
“I make clarified butter for myself, marmalade and jams with my own fruit or any fruit my neighbours give me, bottle it up and give them out.
“People get very surprised when they see my date of birth – I went to an appointment and the lady thought my birth year was wrong!”
Mick will be marking his biggest birthday yet this year with four generations of his family from his Cannon Hill home.
