103 and counting
World War I was in full force with New Zealand subject to attacks off its coast by Germany when Mary Kennedy was born 103 years ago.
Mary celebrated her birthday at Hetherington House in Waihi where she is the oldest resident.
She was born in 1917 in Scotland and came to New Zealand as a small child. She first lived in Christchurch then shifted to Waihi where she has lived since.
When Mary was born, New Zealand history records that the German converted freighter SMS Wolf had seized and sunk two ships, the Union Company’s Wairuna and an American schooner, off the Kermadec Islands.
Mines it laid off the New Zealand coast later claimed two more vessels.
Those who know Mary say she spends lots of time sleeping and is frail but gives a smile to those she deems to be deserving of one, like our
Waihi Leader sales representative Christine Nicoll who worked at Hetherington House and who captured this photo of her on Mary’s birthday last Thursday.
According to Stats NZ, life expectancy at birth is 80.2 years for males and 83.6 years for females.
A spokesman said there are some 700 females and 600 males aged 100-plus but less than 10 males aged 105 or older, and between 20 and 40 females who reach age 105 or more.
The numbers of centenarians have been increasing from year to year, with double from just 20 years ago.