When she opened her letter of congratulations from Queen Elizabeth II, Mrs Lovie remarked: "This is from one Queen to another".

Her six granddaughters, in fact, do call her QEII, as she, like the Queen, is Elizabeth Mary (well, the Queen has Alexandra, too).

"She's a wag," her daughter Sue Charls said.

"She's got a twinkle in her eye and a great sense of humour."

Mrs Lovie celebrated on Thursday with her family and fellow residents at Goodwin Village Farrer with a high tea birthday party.

Born in Sale, Victoria on May 6, 1921, Mrs Lovie and her husband Stan moved to Canberra in 1960 with their three children, David, Sue and Geoffrey.

Mr Lovie was transferred to Canberra with the public service and eventually became first assistant secretary in the Defence Department. The family settled in Waller Crescent, Campbell.

One of their secondments was to England at the Joint Service Defence College in Latimer.

While there, they were invited a garden party at Buckingham Palace and met the Duke of Edinburgh. "He was very comfortable to talk to," she said.

When her children left home, Mrs Lovie returned to work, to the Superannuation Board.

Mr Lovie passed away in 2001. Mrs Lovie has lived at Goodwin Village for 14 years. "And I've never regretted a minute of it," she said.

She felt "old" at the thought of turning 100 and "overwhelmed" by the attention on her birthday.

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"I just thought it was going to be a morning coffee," Mrs Lovie said, with a smile.

"She has been extremely resilient," her daughter Sue said.

As well as her six granddaughters, Mrs Lovie was 12 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren, with five generations of the family captured in precious pictures.

"This my tribe," she said.

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