101 years of bright smiles

Ron Smith Care Centre resident Kitty Venn turned 101 on April 5.

The ever-smiling birthday girl was presented with a bouquet of flowers, birthday greetings and special wishes from fellow residents and staff at the care centre.

A tennis player until shortly before she turned 80, Kitty lived independently until she was 98 when a fall and subsequent hip replacement necessitated her move to the care centre.

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Born Doreen Ruby Mole in 1917 in Swakopmund, Namibia, she was the fourth child in a family of 12 children.

She and husband Oliver had four children, 18 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.

Kitty still enjoys frequent walks with a walker.

“She is an amazing lady with a smile that just lights up and encompasses all those in her presence,” said Debbie Christen, Rand Aid’s manager of recreational programmes.