WITH 97 years of adventures under her belt, Flame Lily’s exuberant and outgoing Gwen Nipper believes age is nothing more than a number and continues to live life to the full.
Firmly grasping her latest read, a heavily read 4 000 years Under the Sea by Philippe Diole, Nipper leans back into her plush chair as she recounts her exciting life.
“You know,” she points with her agile fingers. “I was born in East London 97 years ago and vividly remember packing up and moving to Durban when I was eight. My dad and I drove here over three days while my brother and sister came via ship.”
They lived with her aunt for a few months and described the trek through deep bush just to get to school “There were only five houses along Kensington Drive back then,” she recalled.
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A veritable fountain of knowledge, she, in precise detail, describes Durban in the 1930s – a vastly different place to the bustling city it is today.
Once she finished standard 7, she signed up for commercial college and took up short hand typing and bookkeeping.
“It would have made a very big difference if women had the same opportunities back then as we do now,” she said, gazing into the distance.
Her family’s life tilted on its axis in 1939 when her father walked out.
“My mother had to look after three children – and I was in my final year of studies! As soon as I was done I went and got my first job to help cover the bills and overheads,” she said.
With 18 months of experience at a private bookkeeping firm, she moved into municipal services and, not afraid of hard work, placed her finger in many pies, sometimes all at once.
“One of the councillors decided it would be a good idea to host a fundraiser and collect enough money to send funds to England to purchase a Supermarine Spitfire for World War 2,” she said.
Nipper, who was one of the masterminds behind the successful fundraiser, said she was proud to have been able to raise £1 million from the event.
Wanderlust
Determined to help support her mother and siblings, Nipper would try and save money when she could as she was consumed by wanderlust.
“I was so determined to go overseas but I would buy bus tickets as I was more determined to see more of my own country first,” she said.
It was in 1952 that she had saved enough to cover expenses for a two-month trip abroad. A highlight for her was a bus tour through seven European countries over 14 days. “When you read books, you read a lot about France and Italy. There was a famous night club in Paris that was the go-to place. We definitely went,” she laughed.
She may have enjoyed the trip through Europe, but it was London that she fell in love with.
“I tell you, I could find my way around there without any trouble at all. I did enjoy travelling but,” she leant in and smiled, “this is home. I wouldn’t live anywhere else if I could possibly avoid it.”
Full of life and energy, Nipper said she would always try something once.
“I learnt to fly a glider, I was an avid photographer, went fishing and, about 30 years ago I was offered the opportunity to experience a loop-the-loop in a two-seater airplane. I thought he was not going to do it and when he did I asked him to do it again. He did and I was satisfied,” she grinned.
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A full life
Determined to defy the norm, Nipper only tied the knot when she was 46. It was one of her friends she met while hiking that introduced her to her future husband.
“I was standing and facing the front door and, through the glass, I could see the look on his face: he’d found the woman he was looking for and he never gave up,” she smiled fondly. Four years later they exchanged vows.
“I’m a home bird. I enjoy sewing and make all of my own clothes and then there is also cooking. If there is a book, I just have to know what is between those two covers. As soon as I start reading I can honestly forget what I doing,” she said.
She was an avid bowls player at the Albert Park Bowling Club and was a member for more then 25 years and was on the group’s committee.
“We had a wonderful pub there,” she laughed. As for pubs, each Friday evening she visits the local watering hole and orders a stiff glass of whisky or, if she is feeling naughty, a class of Coca-Cola.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
