100 years of Sylvia
Freshfields Garden Club recently celebrated its 50th birthday, and for all of those years, Sylvia Stewart has been there.
The Waikato woman recently marked her own milestone, turning 100 years to become the Hamilton city’s newest centenarian.
At her birthday party hosted by club members, Sylvia was acknowledged for her hard work, dedication and friendship. They called her a ‘‘real treasure’’.
While her work and dedication to the club has featured highly, other usual events still stand out in her mind.
One such incident occurred many years ago, when Sylvia and her husband visited the shops one day.
Her husband couldn’t drive and so was waiting in the car.
A young boy saw an opportunity and stole the car, taking Sylvia’s husband along for a ride.
Sylvia tells of her husband’s quick-thinking, who told the boy he had a heart condition and to drop him off at the nearest gas station.
The young boy dropped him off and even gave him back his wallet.
It was within a few minutes that Sylvia’s husband called the police. Road spikes were deployed on the road to stop the car and catch the perpetrator.
But when they weren’t involved in life-threatening situations, Sylvia took part in the more peaceful activity of gardening.
Her favourite flowers include roses and carnations, but she admits she loves the lot. Her specialty was at the club’s sales table, and organising guest speakers.
And in a poem dedicated to Sylvia at her birthday celebrations, it states that she and Freshfields are closely aligned.
‘‘From humble beginnings, not only flowers, but friendships, have grown’’.