Queen Alexandra resident celebrates 100 years in style
ORANGE GROVE – Queen Alexandra resident celebrates his 100th birthday.
The Queen Alexandra Retirement Home recently celebrated the centenary birthday of one of its residents, Tok Verster on 22 June.
The celebration took place at the retirement home located in Orange Grove, and saw family members share fond memories of Verster, a WWII veteran.
Robert Wright, Verster’s nephew, was also present at the festivities and described his uncle as a good man who contributed as much as a soldier and as he did as an educator later on in life. “He served in Italy during the war where he was shot in the back. The bullet from the wound is still there and was never removed,” Wright explained.
“He also holds several degrees, most of which he got while serving in the war, and went on to work as a teacher at the Indian College in Johannesburg during the apartheid years.”
Verster holds a Masters Degree in Art, Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and a Bachelor of Science and later became the dean of the Indian College, a post he held for many years.
The centenarian, born in 1916 in the Eastern Cape, was also fondly described as a man who was heavily involved in his local church, along with his wife Esther. Sadly, Esther passed away in 1970 and Verster opted not to remarry, but rather devote his time to the education of young minds.
“He then retired from his job and became a private teacher, working mostly with foreign students, and stopped work when he was well into his 90s,” Wright said.
Asked what the secret to his uncle’s longevity was, Wright said that he took care of himself and never drank or smoked, resulting in good health to this day.
“We never imagined that he’d make it to this age, but we wish him a very happy birthday and that he lives until the age of 110,” Wright concluded with a smile.
