"We never had a camera. We never even had a car," recalled Ellen, sporting a bright yellow flower on her blouse and looking comfortable in her wheelchair.
The twins were among 10 children born to Walter and Jane Hall in what now is Wolseley, Sask., on May 29, 1902.
Saskatchewan was still part of the Northwest Territories at the time and was still three years away from becoming a province.
The girls' childhood was not easy. Their father passed away when they were only four, leaving their mother Jane to take care of the family.
When the girls were eight, the family relocated to Spence Street in Winnipeg, now a rough part of the inner city, but in those years it was a different neighbourhood when milk sold for 10 cents a quart and the streets were safe. The girls' Mom always dressed them in identical clothing, although Ellen says her sister was always the happy one.
"She's happy all the time, you can tell from her pictures," Ellen said.
"Sourpuss me," she laughed, pointing to herself.
Sadly, Sarah was unable, for health reasons, to leave her Arizona home and fly to Winnipeg to join the festivities.
Sarah recently suffered a stroke and is hard of hearing. But she remains energetic and alert, and displays a sly grin and a gentle sense of humour.
Sarah credits her long life to clean living and exercise. She has never smoked and has logged more than 160,000 kilometres(100,000 miles!) on her exercise bike and taught an hour-long aerobics class at a seniors' complex until she turned 93.
"People would come for only half an hour because they couldn't keep up with her," said Dixon Robertson, her 74-year-old son. Her 23-year-old great-grandson, Jordan Piexoto, said Sarah has made a special effort to keep her mind alert. "Reading, playing cards, (there's) always some sort of stimulation," Piexoto said.
When asked to pass on advice to younger generations, Sarah said "I think every earning person should support a child overseas. People earn so much now, and we have to share."
Update
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Oldest Twins Die at 105
Ellen Robertson of Winnipeg and her sister Sarah Jeanmougin of Arizona have died.
They were 105 and were the world's oldest twins.
Robertson died in late December 2007 and Jeanmougin died in February 2008.
Semi-identical Twins . . . More
Born before the dawn of air travel and when Canada had only seven provinces, Ellen Robertson and Sarah Jeanmougin have seen a lot in 105 years.
The twin sisters, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest living set of twins in the world, celebrated their birthdays in different countries Friday.
Ellen smiled at TV reporters in her Winnipeg hospital room, saying she still clearly recalls a childhood that was happy, even without modern conveniences.
Hall Twins - Canadas' Oldest Twins
Twins
Hall Twins - Canada's Oldest Twins
Canadas' Oldest Twins Turn 105 Years Old
