AT 95 years old, Phyllis Ambrose can be described as nothing short of a vivacious go-getter.
With her penchant for travel and a curious mind, there is little she has yet to see or experience.
Ambrose leans back into her plush rocking chair, which is nestled in the heart of her lounge, as she recalls her childhood.
She was born in Pietermaritzburg, near Cramond, and quickly highlights there was no electricity or lights and had no choice but to use a long drop.
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“The timber was also moved and pulled by a span of oxen back then. That’s how old I am,” she laughed.
When she was younger, her days were spent exploring the vast areas around their estate with her companion, a fluffy white dog named Bang.
It was back then that her father taught her how to shoot and fish.
After she finished her stint at the Girls Collegiate, she moved down to Durban to study short-hand typing and bookkeeping at a local college.
Fresh out of business school, she took up a position at Colonial Mutual and then at Caltex, where she met Don, her future husband.
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The loving couple officially tied the knot in 1955 and, a year later, they welcomed their first son, Andrew. Fat forward to 1958 and the family grew to four as they introduced their second child, Gary, to the world. With the purchase of their first home, Ambrose remembers being a member of the women’s institute, spending time in the garden, working and being a mom.
“I loved being a mom,” she smiled. True to this statement, she would work part-time during school terms and take time off during the school holidays to spend quality time with her sons.
“My mother, Kathleen, who lived to be 100 years old, then moved in with us. I do not wish to live that long,” she chuckles and leans back into her chair. “I have lived a full life already.”
Spurred on by her husband, Ambrose booked a trip to tour both the United Kingdom and Scandinavia with her sister. It was during this adventure she was bitten by the travel bug and it seems to have never let go.
It was after her husband passed away in 1986 that she won two competitions for trips overseas. “
The first was a trip to anywhere in America with a three-night stay in London. I was fortunate enough that one of my sons was able to join me,” she said. While the duo may have spent a month travelling and exploring the vast country, it was the memories created at Disneyworld that Ambrose holds most dear.
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“I absolutely loved the trip to Disney World. I went on almost every ride and took part in as many of the activities as possible. It was the Mad Hatter’s tea cup ride that took me by surprise,” she chuckles. “I felt slightly drunk when I climbed off.”
A few years later, Lady Luck struck again and she won the second competition to the tune of a R10 000 travel allowance.
“In those days it was a good amount and my sister, Win, and I flew off to London. We toured the UK and then spent a week in Switzerland,” she smiles at the treasure trove of memories.
At 95, Ambrose said she has seen the world do a complete 180, from living on a farm with no power to setting up a timer on her tablet for her robotic vacuum cleaner.
“That little vacuum cleaner robot is absolutely marvelous! Technology is beyond me, it’s absolutely not my scene, but I do manage.” she grinned.
Ambrose admitted it was due to her age that she was unable to keep up with many of her usual hobbies, such as gardening and knitting.
With a twinkle in her eye, she said, “I am old and decrepit! I have honestly had such a lovely life, its too bad to have such a stilted ending,” she laughs.
When her car was written off about two years ago during a hit-and-run, she opted to purchase a scooter. With this in her arsenal, Ambrose zooms around Flame Lily Park to pick up her meals and visit her friends.
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