Wally Holm turned 100 last Sunday and says he has a lot to be grateful for, mostly for the wonderful life he has lived in the north-eastern end of Byron Shire.
Born in Finland on February 23, 1914, Wally Holm moved to Billinudgel via Mullumbimby to Main Arm when he was seven years old and there he stayed, raising five children. He never considered living in any other part of the world.
Though a little hard of hearing, Wally is as sharp as a tack and still leads a fairly active life – he spends about an hour or so a day ‘supervising’ the chores son Lance and his wife Wendy attend to on their cattle property. He likes to get out on the farm and still watches over the cattle and knows which bovine creature is which.
Wally says the biggest improvement in the area is the highway upgrade. The old highway, which is just a dirt road heading south out of Billi, ran past his front doorstep.
On the weekend, Wally celebrated with friends and family and received letters of congratulations from the Queen, the PM, the governor-general Quentin Bryce, NSW premier Barry O’Farrell and the Finnish consulate, to name a few.
~ Photos Eve Jeffery
