100 and not out: Mt Barker stalwart Cecilia Sounness celebrates her 100th birthday

Mt Barker community stalwart Cecilia Sounness celebrated her 100th birthday with friends and family on Friday. “It would be a lot better if I felt a little better,” Mrs Sounness said. Mrs Sounness celebrated her birthday at Mt Barker Golf Club where she still plays a few rounds of golf on occasion. An active member of the community, Mrs Sounness is president of the Mt Barker Country Women’s Association which she has been involved with for more than 50 years. Last year, she received the Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of her volunteer work and service to the Mt Barker community. Mrs Sounness has been an advocate for helping the people and district of Plantagenet her whole life, being awarded the Shire’s Citizen of the Year in 1991. She was also on the founding committee of the Plantagenet Village Homes for many years as well as being involved with the golf club. She was dedicated to the Mt Barker Show in its day and is a life member of the Mt Barker Agricultural Society as well as being involved with the cricket and football clubs, hospital and church. “I enjoyed going and helping.” “My husband and I liked helping the district,” she said. With such a busy life of community service, Cecilia said her advice to the young people of Mt Barker was to get involved in more voluntary work, encouraging them to keep up the community spirit that she worked so hard to foster. “There used to be a lot more community spirit,” she said. “I worked in a lot of different jobs, but it didn’t matter, I always seemed to find time and be glad to help everybody.” She still lives on the family farm in her beloved Mt Barker and attributes her long life to staying active and engaged. “You mustn’t give up doing things,” Mrs Sounness said. “I don’t think you should give up doing the housework or the gardening.” Shire of Plantagenet President Christ Pavlovich extended his best wishes to the Mt Barker centenarian on behalf of the Shire. “On behalf of the Shire of Plantagenet, I extend our sincere appreciation to Mrs Sounness for her tireless contribution to her community, which she has helped shape into the place it is today,” he said “Mrs Sounness’ decades of volunteer service to many organisations, sporting clubs and groups is to be commended and is a source of inspiration to others. “She has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Shire of Plantagenet Citizen of the Year Award in 1991 and the prestigious Medal of the Order of Australia in 2021, in recognition of her active involvement and dedication to her community, which are a credit to her charitable nature.” “The Shire and the community wish ‘Cis’ a happy 100th birthday.”