In 1924, in the mid-north town of Peterborough, a baby girl named Avice Lynwood Rasmus was born at the home of a local midwife. From those humble beginnings, Avice’s life would stretch across a remarkable 101 years — a life filled with quiet determination, warm wit, and a deep love for family, work, and adventure.

Growing up in nearby Ucolta, Avice attended the local school, where her curiosity and sense of community first took root. Her father was the town’s mechanic and photographer — a practical artist in his own right — and Avice, the middle child between two brothers, Wilf and Malcolm, carved her own path alongside them. While her brothers were drawn to the railways, Avice’s future lay in people, places, and stories.

As a young woman, she began working in the dispatch department of John Martin’s — one of Adelaide’s most iconic department stores. It was an industrious start that led her, in time, across the Tasman to New Zealand, where she worked for six months and discovered just how far her independence could take her.

Returning home, it wasn’t long before Avice met the man who would become her husband. Together they embarked on an adventure to Birdsville — a remote pocket of Australia where he worked as a stockman for Reg Williams (yes, that R.M. Williams). But it was Avice who grounded their life there, bringing resilience, warmth and a touch of grace to the rugged outback.

Expecting her first of three children, Avice made the decision to return to more familiar ground — setting up family life in Salisbury North. While her husband took work with the Weapons Research Establishment, Avice made her mark at Reudiger’s, a beloved local bakery known for its hearty, homemade cakes, pies and pasties. Her hands weren’t just skilled — they were steady, strong and generous.

Over the years, Avice’s quiet spirit of adventure continued to shine. She explored Europe with her brother Malcolm, laughed her way through Fiji with a good friend from the bakery, and enjoyed tropical Port Douglas with her youngest daughter. Despite these memories, she’d often smile and say, “I’ve never been anywhere!” — a gentle nod to the fact that her heart remained rooted in the everyday joys of family and community.

Widowed in 1990, Avice has spent the past three decades living independently — a testament to her enduring resilience. These days, she resides at Helping Hand, Mawson Lakes, after what she modestly refers to as “a little sit down.” Though her physical movements are limited now, her spirit remains vivid. Her wit is sharp, her eyes still sparkle, and she lights up most of all when her grandchildren and great-grandchildren come to visit.

To know Avice is to witness grace in motion — a woman who never sought the spotlight but whose strength, kindness, and quiet sense of humour have been a guiding light for those around her.

Happy 101st Birthday, Avice. Yours is a life richly lived — and deeply loved.

*Thank you to Avice’s son Darrell for providing the foundations to create this story.