Sconetime Cooroy was extra special recently, as Pomona resident Elsie Dalzell marked her 104th birthday at the Cooroy Memorial Hall.
In between serving up more than 400 scones with his team, Sconetime founder Martin Duncan paused to honour Elsie’s life and legacy before a packed hall of locals.
“Leaving school after grade six, this treasure later enlisted in the Australian Women’s Army Service at 21 and served in World War II,” he said.
Martin shared stories from Elsie’s life with warmth and humour.
“After losing her father at age seven, she helped her mother and sisters run the farm, becoming known as the ‘outside girl’,” he said.
“The only time she had been to a doctor was when she got the medical test to go into the army.
“She went on to marry a farmer and raise a family and a gorgeous daughter that we love.
“She’s never actually held a driver’s licence because she’s very good a scabbing a ride.”
The crowd applauded as Martin finished with: “This is Elsie and she is 104-years-old.”
Elsie’s remarkable life of service was officially recognised in 2020, just five days before her 99th birthday, when she received a certificate and commemorative medallion honouring her role in World War II.
Born and raised in Chinchilla, Elsie left home for the first time in 1942, travelling by train to Brisbane, then on to Kapooka for training.
She was assigned to The Australian Searchlight Unit of the 56 Battery Royal Australian Engineers in Brisbane, and later transferred to Townsville, where the unit kept their eyes on the skies for any planes overhead.
“I just thought things were getting that bad at the time I wanted to help,“ she told Noosa Today’s Margie Maccoll in a 2020 interview.
When the searchlight units were disbanded, Elsie continued her service as a switchboard operator in military intelligence schools across Southport, Beenleigh, and Cabarlah before being discharged in 1946.
She remembers dancing in a conga line down the Main Street of Southport when the War was declared over.
From wartime service to morning teas, Elsie’s life has been defined by love and resilience.
For more information on Sconetime events visit www.sunshinecoastfoodie.com.au/sconetime/
