The Rynfield Park One resident celebrated her 100th birthday with fellow residents and family, some of who came from as far as Botswana.
Katherine, who is affectionately known as Aunty Kate, was overwhelmed with emotion and remained speechless most of the time.
She was helped to blow out the numerous candles on the colourful and beautifully presented cake – shaped like the number 100.
She told the City Times that turning 100 felt ”alright” and that she did nothing special to live this long.
Aunty Kate, who is also fluent in Zulu, was born in Umtali (now called Mutare), Zimbabwe, on September 13, 1914.
Her parents were Stephen Walter Pitcher, who was a colonel in the British army, and Ella da Gama who was born in Messina.
She is the eldest of eight children and has one surviving sister, Ellen Raven Lane-Poole.
This Rynpark resident for the past 20 years worked as a nurse at the Florence Nightingale Hospital, in Hillbrow, many years ago.
She was married to Frank Christian, but they were separated years ago.
She had two sons, Basil, who is deceased, and Patrick, who is still alive and lives in Botswana.
Aunty Kate has numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews in Zambia and abroad.
Her last words in our conversation were: “Ngiyabonga kakhulu”, meaning “thank you very much”.
Her granddaughter, Nicola van den Berg, said she was overwhelmed and privileged to have her grandmother live for this this long.
Patrick said he believes everybody has their lives to live and that his mother is living hers, too.
It was indeed a fitting tribute to a special person.
