Berrigan’s Irene Bredelis at around 18 years old.
Photo by
Supplied
Feisty, blunt, upbeat and a mum to everyone — that’s how daughter Ingrid and granddaughter Martina describe Berrigan’s 100-year-old Irene Visbergs Bredelis.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Irene celebrated her 100th birthday on Saturday, October 10 at Uniting Berrigan Residential Aged Care with family, friends and staff, enjoying her favourite black forest cake.
Family travelled from as far as Orange, Sydney and Queensland, with birthday messages from Tasmania and Canberra.
She also received an official congratulatory card from King Charles III and Queen Camilla in honour of the significant milestone.
Born in Grenči, Latvia, in 1926, Irene lived through World War II — fleeing her homeland in 1944, she spent six years in a German displaced persons camp.
It was in that camp that Irene met her late husband, Aleksandrs, and welcomed their daughter, Inesa, in 1947.
Today, Irene enjoys life at Uniting Berrigan Residential Aged Care where she lives with her daughter Inesa.
Photo by
Supplied
The family migrated to Australia in 1950, passing through the Bathurst and Parkes camps before eventually settling in Orange.
Together, Irene and Aleksandrs built a whole new life ― Aleksandrs worked on the railways, while Irene worked at Bloomfield Hospital, the Email whitegoods factory and local venues, including the Royal Hotel.
They couple bought a block of land and initially lived in a small, self-built “cubby house” on the block while they worked on constructing their permanent family home.
Irene’s daughter Ingrid Bredelis described her parents’ relationship as one filled with love.
“Dad was the gentlest man ... they stuck together through the thick and thin, that’s what I saw,” she said.
Irene celebrated her 100th birthday surrounded by family.
Photo by
Supplied
Ingrid said she and her mother returned to Latvia twice, visiting family in 1991 and 1993.
“We visited Dad's side and Mum's side both times, so that was really special,” she said.
Irene moved from Canberra to Berrigan in November 2025 with her daughter Ingrid.
Her granddaughter Martina had been living in Berrigan since 2014 ― several months before Irene’s move, Martina had also brought her mother, Inara, Irene’s daughter, to Berrigan.
Ingrid described Irene’s 100th birthday as a “huge milestone” and said it was “very exciting”.
“If Mum could understand what was happening, she'd be really stoked and happy that we're all celebrating it,” she said.
Some of Ingrid and Martina’s fondest memories of Irene growing up revolve around her home cooking, with everything made from scratch.
Staff and residents from Unit Berrigan also celebrated with Irene.
Photo by
Supplied
Irene made everything from cakes to her speciality, the Latvian national dish pelēkie zirņi ar speķi, known as grey peas with bacon.
Beyond the kitchen, Irene enjoyed gardening, crocheting, knitting, cross-stitch and latch hook.
She even taught Martina how to latch hook, while Ingrid developed a love of gardening like her mother.
“She was always doing things, she liked to be busy with her hands,” Ingrid said.
“She’s had a big life and she’s had a happy life. She’s always been healthy and it’s just old age now.”
Ingrid and Martina visit Irene and Inara almost every night and describe themselves as “part of the furniture”.
Today, Irene is the proud matriarch of five generations, with her daughters Inesa (deceased 2013), Inara and Ingrid, alongside four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
21°C