“We were the Wards of Minnamurra Street.” That’s how Isabell Collins remembers her family’s place in Kiama’s history - a presence stretching from bush blocks to backyard veggie gardens, from hauling water by bucket to hosting a 100th birthday party in true community style.

Isabell reached her centenary on 8 May, but the surprise celebration came five days early.

Family and friends filled the Kiama Leagues Club, while Isabell thought she was just going out for lunch. “I won’t go to heaven now because I lied through my teeth,” said daughter Joanne Lucas, who cancelled appointments and made up stories to pull off the perfect surprise.

Isabell has lived all her life on Minnamurra Street, at the Hothersall Street end, back when it was still farmland. “We were in bush,” she says. “Lantana and blackberry everywhere.”

There was a spring near where Woolworths now stands, and that’s where the family fetched water in buckets.

Her childhood home had no plumbing. Toilet paper was newspaper. Washing was done in an old-fashioned copper, with a tub of starch on the side.

Her parents bought land there, and one by one, family homes were built. Her brother Morris lived at the Pacific Avenue end, formerly Thomson Street, and another brother also settled nearby.

Her family had the vegetable garden, while Morris and Violet kept chickens. “We passed the veggies to them, they passed the eggs to us. That’s how it worked.”

Isabell remembers when almost everything came to your doorstep, including fashion. Travelling salesmen would arrive each month, hauling enormous suitcases filled with dresses, linen and underclothes.

“You’d pick what you wanted, and they’d take the order, then return later with your goods,” she recalls. Other men came with shoes, others with saucepans. “They carried everything themselves. No trucks. Just sheer strength and sweat.”

Isabell worked at Con Mosckos Café, now the site of the newsagent. She served hot meals until midnight, scrubbed and closed up, then did it all again. “He’d call me in for lunch, or dinner, or breakfast. I loved every minute.”

She and long-time friend Norma Stead raised funds to build two extra tennis courts and a two-storey clubhouse. They held lamington drives and fetes, made dolls to sell, and served food from the show caravan. “You just did whatever needed doing,” Isabell says.

When a tornado struck Kiama 13 years ago, her parents’ home was destroyed, one of three houses lost on the street. Isabell’s own home, next door, withstood the storm. “That house had stood for a hundred years. Built by hand, cedar boards. Not like the new ones.”

Today, Isabell still paints flowerpots and swims at home. “If she’s in the pool too long, I’ve got to get in after her,” says Joanne. “But really, we’ll end up burying her with a paint brush in her hand.”

Across the road is a park named Isabell Reserve. It’s a fitting tribute. Kiama has changed. The street has filled.

The salesmen have long gone. But Isabell is still here. Still painting, painting and a part of the town she helped build.