Biography
Christina Clay was born in Gorae, just outside of Portland, Victoria being the second of 11 children. She married Wilbert Cock in 1913. The couple remained married for almost 73 years, until Wilbert's death at the age of 96 in 1986.
Following the death of 110-year-old Ada Cleggett on 8 December 1995, she became the oldest living Australian, aged 107. Five years later, on 21 November 2000, Cock broke the Australian longevity record of 112 years 330 days, which was set by Caroline Maud Mockridge (11 December 1874 – 6 November 1987). In doing so, she became the oldest ever person from the Southern Hemisphere. This record was broken on 10 February 2004 by Ecuadorian María Capovilla.
At the time of Cock's death, she was the second or 3rd-oldest person in the world. With the later questioning of Japanese woman Kamato Hongo's age, she may have missed becoming the real world's oldest person by just six days (Grace Clawson of the United States, born 15 November 1887 in the United Kingdom, died 28 May 2002, aged 114 years 194 days). In any case, Cock had been Australia's oldest person for more than six years when she died, and no other Australian has yet reached age 114. The oldest Australian man on record, 111-year-old Jack Lockett, died 3 days later.
Cock lived independently until she was 109 years old, when she broke her hip during a fall.
On 22 May 2002, Cock died in her sleep, due to a lung infection, with daughter Lesley Ricketson by her side, at Blackburn's Lake Park nursing home. Lake Park nursing home manager Megg Begg said that Cock was still leading a full life up until the day she died. "She still had an interest in her music and food, particularly chocolate cake, and all her family; she was very much a family orientated person." Ricketson said "he was very healthy, she never got sick, she used to eat well and never got anything wrong with her."
Cock was survived by two children, five grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandson.
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