
I was brought up on a dairy farm at Te Awa. I was a twin and the youngest of five children.
I was a delicate child and so was my twin sister.
We grew up during the Depression and the lead-up to World War 2. It was a really hard time — we had to work endlessly from about age 5 because there was no money around to pay for workers.
We all understood that work was a priority and that if we didn’t work hard we would struggle as a family.
Our labour really made a difference. It was more important for children to work than for them to go to school.
Children could leave school from the age of 12 and almost no-one went to high school. We were all needed to work on our farms.
I lived on the farm until I married Keith Watson in 1946. He was a builder and a part-time farmer who grew potatoes and peas on contract.
We had two boys, followed a few years later by two girls. By now I have nine grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Keith and I lived in Pleasant Point for seven years then shifted to Winchester. We moved to Timaru in 1974.
I have been a competitive golfer, playing at the Temuka, Pleasant Point and Gleniti clubs for 43 years. I also played outdoor bowls for 22 years as I enjoyed the challenge of competition.
I lived at Mountainview Village for 23 years and am now living at Strathallan Lifecare.
I have played the piano most of my life, for dance parties and social events after the war, and later I played the piano at happy hour every week at Mountainview Village. I don’t play much any more as my shoulders are stiff, and I donated my piano to Strathallan’s rest-home last year.
I was a confident driver until I was 97 years old.
Other interests I have had throughout my life include dressmaking, floral art, embroidery and needlework.
I still have an active social life and do the code-cracker every day.
I love country music, jazz, old-time singalong and pop music.
Over the course of my life I have seen so many changes. By now I have outlived all my childhood friends and all my siblings. One of my sisters lived into her 90s, but the rest of my family hasn’t been particularly long-lived.
When I was a child it was very much that children were to be seen but not heard. We didn’t have much say in our lives and I think we lacked confidence as a result. However, we were very resilient and just got on with life.
One hundred years ago there was no money around. No-one had money. We all had to provide for ourselves. We went through the Depression and World War 1; we had no electricity at home. We all had to accept that you can’t have what’s not there and we just had to put up with going without.
I have lived on my own for 18 years since Keith died and have become more gentle and able to move on from the things I resented about my childhood.
Every generation has their own good points and their own challenges. Today, people have more options, but I feel that people are also less resilient.
Technology is wonderful. Nowadays information is very accessible.
What is the secret to a long life? A little Scotch on the rocks and hard work.
I have had a very good life. I had a wonderful husband for 60 years. My children are good to me and I believe I am important to them.
When I turned 100 I had just moved to Strathallan and didn’t know many people. I have loved celebrating my birthday this year as I know everyone now. After a morning tea with the Strathallan residents and staff I went out with my children for lunch then had afternoon tea at my daughter’s place, before returning to Strathallan for dinner and a third birthday cake.