Ron Smith Care Centre resident Irene Watson celebrated her centenary on September 8 with her daughter, Fiona.
Born in 1921 in County Durham, England, Irene’s father, Richard, was a farmer while her mother, Harriet, assisted the local midwife.
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“I attended a catholic junior school and was one of only five learners awarded a scholarship at a private senior catholic school in Darlington,” said Irene.
“My first job was in the counting house of a huge department store.
“To transfer money, we put it into a tube and into a special shoot, where it would go whooshing through to its destination.”
Irene continued with office work during the war.“I met my husband, Reginald, at a dance in Darlington and we married soon after the war was over in 1945.
“He eventually signed up with an engineering company in Bulawayo and travelled ahead to Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) to set up what would become our new home,” said Irene.
To join her husband, Irene travelled by ship for 15 days from South Hampton, England, to Cape Town, with her two young children, Trevor and Fiona.“We then travelled by train for two days to Bulawayo. It was a very long journey indeed,” said Irene.
Irene enjoys doing crossword puzzles every morning after breakfast and likes to listen to light music on the radio.“I like to read novels, magazines and the newspaper and watch BBC News and quiz shows on TV.
“I also enjoy watching soapies, my favourite one being 7de Laan. I also like going for walks at Ron Smith Care Centre and enjoy the lake, trees, flowers, gardens, birds and ducks, the sing-a-longs and chair exercises in the activity centre and playing bingo,” said Irene.
Her simple pleasure is to have coffee with Fiona at Elphino’s Coffee Shop, which is located on the care centre’s grounds.
“My proudest achievement is to have raised two wonderful, understanding children,” she said.
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