Gladys Wilson has spent a lot of her time healing and nuturing life, and is living a long life of her own as she celebrated her 100th birthday on Monday, July 14.

Wilson has always been known for her love of animals, and has raised everything from skunks to a baby deer.

“I remember once there was a sparrow with a hurt wing, after just a few weeks in my mother’s care, the sparrow was back outside and flying,” said her only son Frank Wilson.

Frank attributes his mother’s longevity to years of hard work.

“She was always out on the farm picking rocks and stacking bundles. She did pretty much everything on that farm,” said Frank.

Gladys grew up in the Hand Hills area near Fish Lake and was married to Clarence Wilson who passed away at the age of 90, in 1995.

Drumheller residents still have a chance to stand up and be counted as the Town has received an extension in conducting its census.

The effective date of the census is still June 2, 2008, how ever the Town has has received permission from the Minister of Municipal Affairs Ray Danyluk to extend the deadline to complete the census by one month to July 31.

According to Bill Wulff cencus coordinator at the Town of Drumheller, the change was made through a Ministerial Order, and it was due to a number of factors that made it difficult for numerators to complete census and a short survey.

He says inclimate weather played a role as well as a delay from people making callbacks.

The Town undertook the count following the federal census. Many felt the Town was under-represented in the national count. Many provincial grant programs are divvied out on a per capita basis, meaning the greater the population, the greater the funding.

The Town issued a press release asking residents for continued patience if their neighbourhood has yet to be enumerated.

Those who have been missed, and would like to participate in the census, and the community facility questionnaire, can call 403-823-6300, and Town staff will conduct the short interview.