Five generations of family living in city

The birth of Luca Buchanan brought tears to her great-great-grandmother, Joy Rees, 97.

Luca’s arrival, on July 19, gave her family a rare achievement of having five living generations.

‘‘She’s such a little darling . . . I’m absolutely thrilled to the boots,’’ Rees said.

It’s the second time Rees has been part of five living generations. The other occasion was when she gave birth to her son, Ken, in 1942.

After being told last year that greatgranddaughter Olivia Macdonald was pregnant, Rees started the countdown to the baby’s arrival.

‘‘I’ve been waiting for this. I’m so thrilled we’ve got five generations [for the second time].’’

Seeing the pleasure Luca had given the family and to the family of her partner, Anthony Buchanan, was great, Macdonald said.

Rees’s Christian name, Joy, is Luca’s middle name. ‘‘To be able to name my baby after her makes it even more special,’’ Macdonald said.

Rees is a spritely 97-year-old who drives a car, texts her family daily, owns a laptop and iPad and is active on Facebook. The iPad was bought by the grandchildren for her 90th birthday.

‘‘I like keeping up with things, I’d hate to miss out on anything.’’

The nonagenarian started driving at the age of 60, soon after the death of her husband ‘Snow’ Rees. Holding a driver’s licence has helped Rees not to rely too much on her family.

‘‘I’m a defensive driver, I’m very careful and I don’t take risks,’’ she said.

Asked what was needed for longevity, she replied, ‘‘hard work and a loving family’’. ‘‘When the kids have something on, I’m always invited along . . . I don’t miss out on anything.’’

Rees is looking forward to receiving a letter from the Queen when she turns 100 in January, 2021. In the short term, she hopes to take in the scenery, between Christchurch and Greymouth, on a TranzAlpine train ride.

Meanwhile, Macdonald was a successful sportswoman with a highlight being in 2014, when being in the New Zealand team that won the universities’ world rowing championships in China.

She also competed for the South Island in rowing competitions.

ROBYN EDIE/STUFF Five Generations: Joy Rees, 97, centre, holds her great-great-granddaughter Luca Joy Buchanan (one week old), with from left, Rees’s granddaughter, Lynley Macdonald, son Wayne Emmerson and great-granddaughter and Luca’s mother, Olivia Macdonald, sharing the moment in Invercargill on Friday. The photograph held by Lynley is of Joy, one of her sons, her mother, grandmother and great grandfather.