Agnes May Dence was born at Bulimba in Queensland on April 24, 1901.
Her parents were John Sturtevant Dence and Clara Dence (nee Griffith).
Her mother’s family can be traced back to the convicts - Mary Wade was sentenced to death and later transportation, for taking clothing and selling it for 2d. She was originally sent to Norfolk Island and later came to Sydney. She became Mrs. Booker, married twice and bore 21 children.
Agnes, known more affectionately as Denny, had a sister, Olive Poppy and brothers Bob and Thomas. She also had a twin brother, Alexander George who died in infancy of pneumonia.
She and her twin were named after the Duke and Duchess of York who visited Australia. The Agnes is from her grandmother and the May is from Princess May who later became known as Queen Mary (She has always felt that she should have been named Mary)
At the age of three her family left and moved to Epping in Sydney where she spent the next 50 years. Dence Park in Epping is named after her father.
Miss Dence remembers only to well how there was no water, gas or electricity in those days and the wood stove and gaslights were more than adequate to keep the household so active.
Denny attended Epping primary school and then her father sent her to “Bedford” which she considered a terrible school as all her friends went to “Meriden” and that was where she would have preferred.
They always grew their own vegetables and fruit and her father had a resident gardener at their home “Ukalunda” (Happy Home). Her father owned a meat preserving company, as did his ancestors in England.
Her brother suffered badly after having been sent off to war at 18 and as a means of recuperation it was recommended that he take up golf. Agnes joined him in this pursuit and one afternoon tea time the dark haired, dark eyed girl, Jean, struck up a friendship with a golden haired light skinned keen golfer. This friendship endured for decades and both ladies moved to Kenilworth Retirement Home in Bowral in their later years.
Whilst playing golf her father bought her mother a car which Denny drove to golf - A Bernam Saloon. He also had a single body made onto a classic chassis for her to get around in. Denny handed in her license when she was aged 95 years old. Her only collision was with a stationary van when she bumped into it. She had been driving for 77 years. Several months after she returned her license it was sent back to her, cancelled, so that she could keep it as a souvenir.
Travel was a passion and her first trip was to England in 1919 whilst her brother, Thomas, was still there after the war. He came home on the troop ship and she travelled a little longer before coming home.
The family owned a beach house at Palm Beach and every February for fifty years Denny hosted a beach party. The last of these friends passed away only four years ago.
It is appropriate that that is where Denny will be having her family birthday party on April 21 when 32 of her nephews, nieces, grand nephews and grand nieces and her sister in law, Barbara, will help her celebrate her 100th birthday. Barbara is the only surviving relative of “My generation” said Denny. She lives in Justinian House in Crows Nest. Barbara was happily married to her younger brother, Bob, for 62 years. He passed away four years ago. Denny has known Barbara since Barbara was eight years old. They still keep in touch.
The cottage has remained in her family since it was built by her father in 1928. Her father was attracted to the spot as “it was a great place for a picnic,” said Denny.
For many years her desire for passion for travel was put on the backburner as she felt her parents were getting to old to be away from. In 1964 Denny and Jean travelled on the Oriana to England, however, their trip was cut short as Jean suffered a cerebral haemorrhage and needed to come home to Killara.
At that time they owned a cottage in Moss Vale and as Jean’s sisters were unable to accompany her Denny was asked to stay in Moss Vale with Jean. What started out as a two-year stay in Moss Vale became a 34 year stay.
Denny and Jean were the first to sign up for a unit at Kenilworth, Unit 26, even though they were not the first to move in as their unit was not completed until later. They were in that unit for fifteen years.
Jean’s sisters are also now at Kenilworth
Every winter Denny travels to Foster to spend a fortnight with her nephew Derek Ian.
When Jean had suitably recovered this pair of travellers were off again. They cruised to Japan and Hong Kong in 1970 then in 1971 to England via Hawaii, Los Angeles and then to Southampton. In 1977 they flew to England.
Denny visited Jenny daily until she passed away last year.
Denny is not one to sit idly biding her time. “I’d go mad if I couldn’t knit or crotchet or read.”
“I thought I’d be bored to sobs,” she said when referring to coming into the units. “There is a good library here and there is enough reading to last me.”
“If I didn’t keep busy here I’d have gone back to Sydney to be near my relatives,” said Denny.
Denny summed up by saying that she had quite a happy life with good friends.
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