Vale Catherina van der Linden

The thoughts and prayers of the Southern Cross Care community are with the van der Linden family, following the passing of Catherina van der Linden at the age of 111.

Catherina, who was Australia’s oldest person, gently went into the night at West Beach Residential Care on Australia Day surrounded by her loving family and supported by our compassionate staff.

Born in the Netherlands in 1912, Catherina migrated to Australia with her husband and young family in 1955 and went on to hold a variety of jobs, including nursing assistant, clerical assistant and a season of grape picking. She also volunteered with Meals on Wheels SA in the Adelaide Hills. At the time of her passing, Catherina was the oldest Dutch person in the world.

Catherina moved into Southern Cross Care’s West Beach Residential Care home in 2019 and soon became a healthy ageing role model for fellow residents, with her love of walking and regular gym sessions. When asked on her 111th birthday in August last year about her advice for a long life, she said “Be happy with yourself and be content with what life gives you…” And of course, “keep moving, don’t sit still”.

Catherina is survived by her four children, 10 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. She will be lovingly remembered by her family and by all in the Southern Cross Care community. 

As per Catherina’s wishes, her body has been donated to The University of Adelaide Body Donation Program in the hope of helping to advance medical science through research. The van der Linden family will hold a memorial service at 2.30pm on Friday, 15 March at The Florey Chapel, Centennial Park in Pasadena SA.

The van der Linden family will not be available for interviews and ask for privacy at this time.