Maggie still cooking her way after century

Andrew Mathieson
WHEN Maggie Ross demonstrated she was good enough to cook for the Queen Mother in her day, whipping up a meal in the kitchen was always going to be a hard habit to break.
Now going strong at 100, Maggie still loves nothing better than cooking for her 73-year-old daughter in the kitchen of their Hamlyn Heights home.
Although cakes are Maggie’s speciality, when this mother celebrated her centenary birthday milestone this week she deserved to put aside the wooden spoons and mixing bowls to be treated like a queen for a day.
Daughter Cecilia Grassick marvelled at her mum’s independence as she entered her second century.
“She tells everyone all the time that she still looks after us, that we don’t look after her,” Mrs Grassick said.
“She gets around every day and likes to bake a cake once in a while, so she still cooks and, yes, loves ironing – an unusual woman.”
The “very active” Scot immigrated to Australia in 1967 after living a widow’s life following the death of her husband in World War Two.
Mrs Grassick said Maggie fondly remembered as an eager 14-year-old girl feeding the royals traditional fare when they visited Scotland on weekends.
“She was a young girl working in Darmody Castle when the Queen Mother and her husband were the Duke and Duchess of York and they came up to the castle for the pheasant shooting,” Mrs Grassick said.
Maggie celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends at Scots Presbyterian Church in Geelong West on Wednesday.