Celebrating 105 years with Lisa Fallen

Having lived through two world wars, the great depression, and now the global COVID-19 pandemic, she has seen a thing or two in her 105 years.

Born in Wales in 1915, Lisa moved to Australia as a nine-year-old.

She married her husband in the early 1940s and spend 25 years on a farm in NSW. While she found farm life boring and difficult, she dreamed of traveling. So that’s exactly what she did once she divorced her husband in the mid-1960s.

Lisa spent a lot of her time after this traveling to places such as South Africa, Germany and the UK.

Her son Geoff, said his mum may be small, but she knows how to get her own way.

“Years ago, Mum was returning from Perth to Adelaide on the Indian Pacific – a train that runs from Perth to Adelaide. I was running a little late to drop Mum off at the station. When we arrived, the guard was holding the carriage door open, and ushered Mum quickly onto the train just before it departed.

“She soon realised that in her rush, she’d boarded a second-class carriage without sleeping cabins. She called the guard and asked him to take her to the cabin that she’d paid for. Unfortunately, the carriages were separated by goods wagons and she wouldn’t be able to go to her cabin until they reached Kalgoorlie.

“She protested, stamped her feet, and eventually had the guard request that the train be stopped in the middle of the desert. Only my mum could stop the Indian Pacific for a non-scheduled stop in the middle of the desert,” Geoff said.

Lisa’s love story didn’t stop after her divorce. When she was in the UK, she met Tom. The relationship quickly grew from a friendship into the love of her life. Lisa and Tom were secretly married after running away to Gretna Green in Scotland. Lisa was 89 at the time.

Geoff said that he couldn’t have asked for a better mum than Lisa.

“I speak for both my brother and sister when I say that we are all very proud of her.”

From the whole team at Bupa, we wish Lisa a very happy 105^th birthday!