Flame Lily’s Carol celebrates 100 years of life
Carol told the Queensburgh News that she drove until she was 95 years old.
NOVEMBER 4 marked a special day for the residents of Flame Lily Park Retirement Home as they celebrated the 100th birthday of Carol Loynes.
Carol was born in Mossel Bay on November 4 in 1921. She grew up ‘rough and tough’ on a farm. Her grandparents all lived into their late 90s. Carol had two sons, William and Nicky, who were born in Cape Town. Her third child, a daughter named Thelma, was born in Durban North after the family relocated in 1956.
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Her family lived in various area codes, from Amanzimtoti to Durban North, until they settled in Morningside for 18 years.
When Carol’s husband, Phillip, passed away in 1982, she moved to Manning Road in Berea for 13 years before she joined the residents at Flame Lily Park Retirement Home.
Still fit as a fiddle, Carol described herself as an active person in her prime. She said she played bridge and bingo and used to facilitate the bingo for the residents in frail care. She used to enjoy the odd casino trips to the Wild Coast before local casinos opened in Durban. She also went on numerous bus tours in and around Africa.
It was no surprise when she told the Queensburgh News that she drove until she was 95 years old and only stopped driving because the licence office did not want to renew her driver’s licence.
Carol has many friends at the retirement home and, for her birthday, she handed out 150 petit four cakes to residents, family and friends.
“Instead of having a function, as we are not allowed to these days, I wanted to do something special for my friends,” said Carol.
The charming lady still enjoys watching cricket and golf on TV.
She listens to the radio and news and certain music programmes. She has always been an early riser and early to bed type of person. She eats a lot of fruit to stay healthy, enjoys her food and isn’t a fussy eater at all. Carol has always been a good cook and still cooks for herself at the retirement home.
She has a clean bill of health, although she noted that her eyesight isn’t what it used to be.
Her secret to longevity is keeping herself busy and staying happy. She said she feels so loved by her children, five grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
Her fondest memory in all her years was after she arrived in Durban in 1965, she went to the beach and sat in the water and scooped up sardines in her long dress after the shoal arrived. She said it was so much of fun.
The most trying time in Carol’s life was losing her eldest son, William, who suffered a short illness in May last year. He would have been 70 in July 2020.
On the morning of her 100th birthday, Carol joked with her son, Nicky, that she still feels like she’s 21.
Her advice to the younger generations is “to be happy and cherish every moment of your life – it keeps you youthful.”
Carol thanked all of her friends and family, both in the country and overseas, for the well wishes.
“I felt very loved and special to be 100 today,” she added.
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