The first thing you'll notice about Joan Benson is her quick-witted humour, how she fires off jokes like the crack of a whip.
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What you might not be able to tell, given her vibrant demeanor, is that she turned 100 years old on Tuesday.
She was looking forward to receiving a letter from the Queen, who she felt a strong connection with given their similar age, but grudgingly accepted one from King Charles instead, though she said she hopes "Camilla didn't lick the stamp".
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Ms Benson has outlived three British monarchs, survived two pandemics, and completed one hundred laps around the sun.
She said she's happy to celebrate her milestone, but wishes it could've come on a cooler day.
"Feeling good. And hot. It's very hot,"
Much of Ms Benson's working life was spent helping her father on his farm in Inverell, raising horses and ploughing the fields.
"No tractor back then, we loaded up seven horses and ploughed that way," she said.
As an avid equine enthusiast, Ms Benson learned Campdrafting from an early age and would go on to serve as the secretary of the Nundle pony club for 35 years.
"It was bred in us. We used to have good horses and cattle, and that was the thing to do. My father and husband were campdrafting ... and I said well why shouldn't I have a go too?" she said.
Ms Benson said she had many good horses over the years, the best of which was named Rebel, perhaps a reflection on her own untamable spirit.
She would eventually leave her parents' farm, falling in love with a man she wouldn't let anyone else have.
"He was our next-door neighbour. I swam across the river and got him," she said.
The two would start their own family, leading to the present-day house filled with kids, grandkids, and other loved ones.
Longevity runs in Ms Benson's family, both her parents lived into their 90s, and her younger sister is 96.
The sisters also have a 'baby' 80-year old sister she jokingly calls her parents' "afterthought".
Genetics will only carry you so far though, and Ms Benson has plenty of advice for people who want to live a long life.
"Get along with the right people, play sports, eat good food, and don't drink alcohol, only water," she said.
Though her campdrafting days are behind her, Ms Benson is a devoted sports fan, supporting the Melbourne Storm in rugby and the Sydney Sixers for cricket.
"She does the footy picking with us. Every week she gets her footy picks in. She knows what's going on, but she hasn't beaten me yet," her son Neil Benson said.
When asked what she misses from her glory days, she said her hearing and eyesight aren't what they used to be, but insisted there's a lot to look forward to, turning 101, for example.
She's also looking forward to throwing an even larger party on Saturday the 11th when more than 60 family and friends will join her in Nemingha to celebrate.
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