Her family and friends marked the anniversary with an afternoon tea at the Warrnambool Bowls Club on Sunday.

Mrs Katsaros was just 17 when her husband – 13 years her senior - first noticed her at her father’s mechanics workshop in Athens.

Six months later they were married but the day after the wedding her husband, Peter, sailed to Australia and eventually found work at the Dennington Nestle factory.

For about seven months, Mrs Katsaros stayed in Athens living with Peter’s brother’s family until her husband sent for her.

After three weeks sailing by herself on the Orion, she arrived in Melbourne on July 23, 1957 with only four English phrases – yes, thank you, good morning and good night.

To celebrate, her sister-in-law who lived in Melbourne threw a big Greek party.

Three days later they arrived in Warrnambool, and when she stepped off the train she fell in love with the city.

“I thought it was a beautiful historic place,” she said.

The lady who owned the house they first lived in taught her some English words.

Mrs Katsaros had six children – the first five within five years of each other – but when they started school they mostly spoke Greek.

“We would speak Greek at school and they actually came to mum and said ‘the kids need to speak English at school because no one can understand them’,” daughter Gina Walker said. 

As well as having to learn to speak English, Mrs Katsaros learnt to drive a car without her husband knowing.

She also bought their first home without telling him because he just wanted to rent.

“Mum went and saw the landlord and asked if she could buy the house. He wanted $2000 for it. It was a tiny two-and-a-half-bedroom house for six kids. Mum paid that house off $50 a week until she owned it and then she told dad that she bought the house,” Mrs Walker said. “It was good times and I wouldn’t change it,” Mrs Katsaros said. “I had good times and sad times.”

Mrs Katsaros’ husband died on Good Friday in 1979 when her youngest child was just 10. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and a brain tumor and died less than six months later.

Mrs Katsaros then had to raise her six children by herself. Over the years she made clothes when she worked at Fletcher Jones and was also a cleaner, cook and babysitter.

She has 22 grandchildren and is expecting her 16^th great grandchild.