CELEBRATING her 105th birthday tomorrow, Marie Kirkby moves through the world with the quiet assurance of someone who has already lived several lifetimes.
At just five, Adelaide is only beginning hers. One has known war, service, love, loss, and extraordinary longevity. The other is taking her first steps through school, still discovering who she is.
Separated by a full century in age, the two are united by a single thread — Ipswich Legacy.
Marie, Ipswich Legacy’s oldest widow, was born in Yanco near Leeton in New South Wales, the daughter of a World War I veteran who received land through a soldiers’ settlement scheme. Life was not easy.
By the age of 14, her family could no longer afford to support her, and Marie was sent to Sydney to find work.
She began in a nursing home before embarking on formal training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital — a decision that would shape the rest of her life.
During World War II, Marie joined the Women’s Royal Australian Air Force (WRAAF), serving as a nurse at Concord Repatriation Hospital.
It was there, among returned servicemen and long hospital corridors, that she met Ian Kirkby. He was a patient. She was part of his care. Their connection grew, and the pair married — a moment that also marked the end of Marie’s military service.
At the time, married women were not permitted to remain in the WRAAF.
Together, Marie and Ian built a life that included one daughter, Ros, and many moves before eventually settling in Lismore, where they lived for close to four decades. Ian passed away on 1 June 2007, aged 86.
At the opposite end of Ipswich Legacy’s story is Adelaide.
Just five years old, Adelaide is the organisation’s youngest beneficiary. In September 2025, her stepfather — who was serving in the Royal Australian Air Force — died suddenly, changing her young world forever.
Now in Year 1 at Deebing Creek Primary School, Adelaide represents the next generation of families supported by Legacy.
Where Marie’s story speaks of endurance and history, Adelaide’s speaks of hope and the future.
Ipswich Legacy exists in the space between those stories — bridging generations, honouring the sacrifices of the past, and ensuring that the families left behind are not forgotten.
From a woman who has lived through two world wars to a child just learning to read and write, the organisation’s reach spans a century of life, loss, and connection.
In Marie and Adelaide, Ipswich Legacy’s mission is embodied — a reminder that while time may separate generations, care, compassion, and remembrance bind them together.
