After 100 years of living in Dunedin, Nance Orr remains fiercely private.
Today, Mrs Orr will celebrate her 100th birthday, but she declined to speak publicly about the milestone.
Mrs Orr's daughter, Jacquie Wright, said her mother grew up in Caversham, the eldest child of Agnes and Louis Dunlop.
After Caversham Primary School she attended Otago Girls' High School where she gained matriculation after three years.
She studied music at the University of Otago and taught piano upon graduating.
She married John Orr in a Dunedin registry office.
Mr and Mrs Orr raised children Jacquie, Eoin and Margot in Green Island while Mr Orr ran the Otago Iron Rolling Mills before moving to the city.
Mrs Wright said her mother was a private, disciplined and well-organised person with an ''amazing'' memory.
She believed her mother's longevity lay in the fact she ''never'' drove, was always on the move and had a good diet.
On Saturday, 23 members of Mrs Orr's family, including a grandson who travelled from Vancouver, celebrated her birthday at the Fernhill Club in Dunedin.
Today, the Yvette Williams resident was due to open her letter from the Queen and have an afternoon tea at her granddaughter's house, Mrs Wright said.
