Pat an ‘inspiration’ at 100
Beaming smile for visitors as she gets the royal treatment
Pat Walker loves life which was clear to see when given the royal treatment from family, friends, Lexham Park residents and the community at her 100th birthday celebrations in Katikati.
Friday, May 7 marked the day, and as a resident at Lexham Park rest home, Pat was seated in a special chair in the lounge room, decorated by staff with lots of photos and balloons. Silver and gold balloons spelling her name hung above her chair. Underneath the letter A it said “I’m onto it” which sums up this selfmotivated women, whose attitude to life is inspiring.
Pat had a beaming smile as people greeted her with hugs and wished her well. Many family members had travelled from Tokoroa, Palmerston North, Auckland, Hamilton including a grandson from Bathurst, Australia, who got the last flight out.
Staff members spoke about how inspirational Pat was to them and the other residents. Raewyn Stollery said, “It is a pleasure to know you. You have touched our hearts.”
Kerri Belcher said, “Thank you for being you. You are an inspiration not just to us, as workers but the residents.”
She said Pat has joined groups and excels at what she does. In her room she still knits, does crosswords and colouringin, grows flowers and enters competitions with tomatoes.
“You give everyone a lift. You’re an inspiration . . . let’s aim for 112 now.”
“Pat is absolutely marvellous,” said one resident. “She sets out the crosswords and then helps others to do them.” Granddaughter Helen Hocking said her nan was always using her brain. Not that long ago she discovered adult colouring in, “she loves it”.
“She is inspirational and loves her church. We used to take turns staying with her and we would have to go to church on Sunday. When Nan turned 99 we were in lockdown, so we facetimed her to keep in touch.”
Pat lived in her own home in Katikati until she was 98 and was still driving herself around town. She surrended her licence when she moved into Lexham Park almost two years ago.
Diane Pope picks Pat up for church every Sunday.
“Apart from Covid she hasn’t missed a Sunday. Pat is a delight. I can’t believe she is so sprightly at 100. She’s an inspiration to all of us.”
Pat opened cards from the Queen, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, NZ Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy and Seniors Minister Ayesha Verrall.
When asked what her secret to longevity was, she said, “There’s no secret. You just get up and just do it. I always have and always will.”
And she does. She goes out with friends, every Sunday she gets picked up for church and visits Moggies Market to get wool to knit scarves for Operation Cover Up.
In fact Pat was involved in knitting the longest red sock when she belonged to the NZ Machine Knitting Society and posed with Paul Holmes and others for the Herald. She racked up thousands of machine knitted scarves despatched overseas by Mission Without Borders NZ.
When asked what keeps her going, Pat said, “my Christian belief”.
“When it’s my time to go I’ll go.”
It seems not much is going to slow down this active senior. On Saturday Pat Walker was up and ready to be picked up by daughter Ruth Buckman for her regular monthly outing to Moggies Market.
Stallholder Eileen Pickering said Pat comes and sits with her on her stall and chats to everyone.
“She loves the people. Her smile wipes out the whole place.”
Pat gets balls of wool from the market every month to knit up for Operation Cover Up.
So it was no surprise when she stepped inside the hall on Saturday, everyone stopped to sing “happy birthday”.
After getting her wool for the month, Pat was heading to lunch at “Nan’s Pub”, the Talisman Hotel, with her family of around 60 people.
The Sunday before her birthday there had been another celebration at the Katikati Baptist Church — flowers and morning tea with cake shared with the pastor and his wife who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.
After her week of parties, it’s not surprising Pat didn’t make it to church on Sunday.
Pat was born in Auckland on May 7, 1921. She is the middle child of three girls, her sisters Phyllis and Isobel. She lived on a farm in Clevedon and went to school there, then to Otahuhu College, where she was head girl in 1937 and 1938.
After finishing secondary school she went to teachers training college. Her first teaching job was at Graham’s Beach on the Manukau Peninsula.
When she was a teacher at a small country school she was walking home on the road one evening. Two young men stopped and said, hello, what’s your name.” She said it was Doreen. One replied and said, “but you look like a Pat.”
One of those men was Robert Walker, a dairy farmer who she later married. Hence the name Pat remained.
She kept teaching after having two children, Ruth and John, taking them into the classroom with her.
After the polio epidemic all the small schools amalgamated into Awhitu District High School. Pat later returned to teaching.
She bought her first knitting machine, and also did a lot of sewing. After the children left home and the farm sold Pat moved to Auckland where she joined the NZ Machine Knitting Society. She continued to knit well into her 80s using the knitting machine. She was involved in knitting one of the longest red socks. She still knits but more hand knitting scarves for Operation Cover up.
Widowed in 2004, Pat lived on her own before moving to Lexham Park nearly two years ago. Pat’s younger sister Isobel joined her at Lexham at the end of 2019 before passing away a few months later. During lockdown before Isobel died staff member Raewyn Stollery said she organised a rendezvous for the sisters since they were in separate bubbles. She would bring Isobel (who was in the hospital wing) in a wheelchair to Pat’s window so they could chat.
Pat keeps busy knitting, doing crossword puzzles, adult colouring in, bowls (her dad was a champion bowler), singalongs and a number of different activities provided at Lexham. Her daughter Ruth lives in Katikati and her son John in Snells Beach.
Ruth said, “Being a Taurus, mum was determined to get to 100. She is a good mum and is always busy.”
While being fiercely independent, Ruth said she has a sense of humour and also a softer side.
Pat has four grandsons, two granddaughters, nine greatgrandchildren and two great-greatgrandsons.