Family gathered at Mount Saint Joseph’s Convent to join Sister Regina in celebrating her 100th birthday on April 1.

Sister Regina Thompson, second child of Walter and Annie Thompson, was born in Boorowa on April 2, and was named Marie Pauline.

She is the only surviving member of the family which included Frank (Gosford), Eileen Baxter (Revesby), Harold (Boorowa), and James (Br John of the Patrician Brothers).

After finishing school Marie worked in the office of the Boorowa garage for two and a half years before entering the Novitiate of the Sisters of Mercy in Goulburn in 1932.

She began her teaching career in Tocumwal in 1936 and over the years served at many centres in the south west including a term as Superior of Saint Michael’s Novitiate Goulburn, where years earlier she herself had trained.

Next on her journey was Murringo and then she embarked on a unique project from 1960 to 1962 - the Sisters of Mercy Motor Mission.

Sister Regina, Sister Eymard Cusack and, later, Sister de Montfort covered 600 kilometres each week to take religious instruction to many small country schools in the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn.

After her time on the Motor Mission, Sister Regina taught at Grenfell and Junee, and finally retiring to Boorowa where she became an active member of the religious community.

She moved into the family home to look after her aged mother until her mother went into care at 105 years of age.

After the death of her mother, Sister Regina went to live in Cootamundra until her own health began to deteriorate and she joined the Sisters of Mercy Retirement Community at Mount Saint Joseph’s in Young where she is now cared for in the nursing home.

Until quite recently this kind and beautiful lady continued to do beautiful fancywork, crochet, knitting and always had a great love of gardening.

She is much loved by her 12 nieces and nephews and their families and their many friends who shared her life during 100 years.