Amazing gathering of centenarians held at Lymington’s Court Lodge care home
AN amazing gathering of 10 residents aged 100 or more was held at a Lymington care home where many shared their memories of past times over the last century.
Enjoying an afternoon tea at Court Lodge Care Home, the seven women and three men had a combined age of 1,005 years.
Six of the residents live at the Colten Care home, while the remainder are residing at the company’s other properties in Brockenhurst, Salisbury and Bournemouth.
Among those sharing early memories was 101-year-old Ula Rigg, who travelled to Lymington from Braemar Lodge in Salisbury where she has lived for the past two years.
Ula recounted how, as a five-year-old, she was chosen by her school to present a purse of money to the then Duchess of York, later the Queen Mother, who was making an official visit.
She passed round a photo of herself learning to curtsy before she met the famous royal, and said: “As well as the curtsy I had to walk up four steps to the little platform where the Duchess was standing.
“I presented the purse and then, to my utmost horror, I nearly fell down the steps because I was so excited. I wanted to get back to my mum.”
Court Lodge resident Iris ‘Margaret’ Honeyman spoke about her wartime work at the Foreign Office in support of the French Resistance, saying: “It was a very challenging job, but I enjoyed it.”
Former Royal Navy officer Boyd Salmon was just 18 when he was badly injured clearing enemy mines from a beach in The Netherlands in 1945. After the war, Lymington-born Boyd became a chartered engineer, his profession until retirement.
A lot of the centenarians were well placed to talk about the secrets to a long life, with Ethel Wise, a former cook who lives at Avon Cliff in Bournemouth, saying it was down to “hard work and a sense of humour”.
Ex-nurse Diana Creasey, who lives at Woodpeckers in Brockenhurst and was a volunteer at Oakhaven Hospice for several years, said her secret to longevity was to “keep active, follow a good diet and make sure to have lots and lots of fresh air”.
Court Lodge resident Eric ‘Richard’ Robinson (100) said his was “never having smoked much and drinking very little alcohol”.
“When I was in the army, I gave my cigarettes and whisky away,” he said.
Suggestions from others for a long life included eating chocolate and bananas, drinking red wine, “staying calm and not getting heated about things”, and “staying away from men”.
The importance of family love and support was cherished above all, though.
Court Lodge home manager Rebecca Hannam said: “After they introduced themselves around the table, they really enjoyed chatting, getting to know each other and hearing about everyone’s lives and careers. It just goes to show that a great age is no barrier to making new friends.”
At the close of the party, each guest was presented with a 1924 penny farthing coin as a keepsake of the celebration.
