Video: 103 candles for Helen

Ms More, who insists on being called Helen, chuckled and gracefully said thank you when her friends at The Moth Cottages sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and wished her a wonderful year ahead on Friday, January 16.

Her secret for still looking so youthful she said is not a secret, everyone can have it if they live a good life, laugh often and love passionately.
Helen’s life story began back in 1912 in Middelburg.
“Now, just in case the penny hasn’t dropped that was the same year that the Titanic went down. I’m sure there’s no connection,” said Mr Mervyn van Rooyen, Helen’s brother’s son.

Mervyn coloured in Helen’s story, “She was the third of a family of eight children and moved to neighbouring Witbank with her parents when she was 11 years old. Originally they lived close to Tavistoc Mine and Helen used to take the Middelburg/Witbank train to Witbank Station to go to school and back home.”

In those days the school was known as Witbank English School and later Witbank English Medium School. Now this same school is known as Robert Carruthers Primary School but is situated further uptown.
“Robert Carruthers was principal of the school and he put Helen in charge of the children who travelled on the train. Even at that age she was quite a responsible person,” Mervyn said.

Helen’s father was Captain Jack van Rooyen, a captain in the South African Army, who served in both world wars and was part of General Smuts’ expedition into South West Africa when it was taken from Germany.
He was also successful building contractor as well as a sportsman and a musician of no mean talent. But it was boxing that Jack excelled in. He erected a full-size boxing ring in the garden of their house on the corner of Rhodes Street and Kitchener Avenue, across the road from King George’s Park. Kitchener Avenue later became Botha Avenue. He died in December 194.

Helen’s mother, Emma, was probably from Oudshoorn in the Cape. Family legend has it that Jack was standing on the roof of a building he was erecting in Oudshoorn when Emma walked past below. Jack turned to the person with him and said, “I’m going to marry that girl.”
Mervyn recalled childhood memories and remembered Helen being an excellent dancer. “She never missed an opportunity to go dancing and I have it on good authority that there was always a stream of young bucks queuing up to dance with her!”

Then a young gentleman, Aubrey More arrived on scene and swept Helen of her feet.
On a beautiful winter’s day on July 4, 1936 they got married in the old Methodist Church in the then Kitchener Street.
Sadly the Second World War caught up with everyone and Aubrey volunteered for service.
During the war Helen worked in the revenue department at the Witbank municipality, mainly because so many men had gone off to war and there was no one left to do that type of work.

Aubrey was captured at Sidi Resig in Tunisia and was made a prisoner of war. He was in an Italian prisoner of war camp for three years.
After the Allies invaded Italy he and a friend managed to escape. They were assisted by Italian partisans and managed to trek over the Alps to Switzerland. He was repatriation back to South African where Helen waited for him.
Helen and Aubrey did not have any children.

Today Helen spends her time reminiscing over fond memories she accumulated over more than a century. In the 103 years since she was born a lot has changed.
The saying goes ‘You’re never too old to have a good time’ and that is exactly what Helen and her friends did after she blew out the candles on her birthday cake.

Between the laughter and the jokes, Helen and her friends enjoyed the lovely cake that was baked especially for her by Checkers Hyper to celebrate this incredible milestone.

Helen is quick to smile and that might just well be one of the secrets to her long life.