Name Christina Cock | ||
Born 25 December 1887 ( 1887-12-25 ) Gorae, (near Portland), Victoria,
Australia Died 22 May 2002(2002-05-22)
(aged 7009361035360000000♠114 years, 148 days)
Blackburn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Known for Oldest verified person in Australian history | ||
Christina Cock (née Clay; 25 December 1887 – 22 May 2002) is recorded as the oldest verified supercentenarian in Australian history. She was aged 114 years, 148 days when she died. She is the oldest Oceanian person of all time.
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Biography
Christina Clay was born in Gorae, just outside Portland, Victoria being the second of 11 children. She married Wilbert Cock in 1913. The couple remained married for almost 73 years, until Wilbert's death at the age of 96 in 1986.
Following the death of 110-year-old Ada Cleggett on 8 December 1995, she became the oldest living Australian, aged 107. Five years later, on 21 November 2000, Cock broke the Australian longevity record of 112 years 330 days, which was set by Caroline Maud Mockridge (11 December 1874 – 6 November 1987).
At the time of Cock's death, she was the 2nd- or 3rd-oldest person in the world. If doubts about Japanese woman Kamato Hongo's age prove true, Cock missed being the world's oldest person by just six days (Grace Clawson of the United States, born 15 November 1887 in Great Britain, died 28 May 2002, aged 114 years 194 days, six days after Cock).
Cock lived independently until she was 109 years old, when she broke her hip during a fall.
Death
On 22 May 2002, Cock died in her sleep, due to a lung infection, with daughter Lesley Ricketson by her side, at Blackburn's Lake Park nursing home. Lake Park nursing home manager Megg Begg said that Cock was still leading a full life up until the day she died. "She still had an interest in her music and food, particularly chocolate cake, and all her family; she was very much a family-oriented person." Ricketson said "She was very healthy, she never got sick, she used to eat well and never had anything wrong with her."
Cock was survived by two children, five grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and one great-great grandson.
Cock is buried at Burwood Cemetery.