Inez Pearce received a card from the Queen after turning 100 on January 10. The photo beside Pearce is of her aged 21. Photo / Judith Lacy
Inez Pearce received a card from the Queen after turning 100 on January 10. The photo beside Pearce is of her aged 21. Photo / Judith Lacy
Inez Pearce jokingly refers to the photo board of her 100 years of living life to the full as a "chamber of horrors".
The quip says as much about the Palmerston North resident's self-effacing nature as it does about her life. But she has experienced more than her share ofsadness as well as many adventures.
Pearce was born in Bristol, southwest England, on January 10, 1922. She was 4 when she left Bristol with her mother Doris, father William and older brother Gordon. Her twin brother had died before they emigrated.
The voyage on the SS Tainui took the Tynan family six weeks. After arriving in Wellington they drove in an old car to Whanganui and then went by paddle steamer to their new home past Upokongaro on the Whanganui River.
"Mum coming straight from the city, she thought she had come to the end of the world with two little tots."
Pearce returned to Bristol when she was 7 and 11 as her mother had trouble settling and was homesick.
"Then Dad said no more going back, you have to make up your mind to settle here, so she did."
The family also lived in Whanganui and Lower Hutt. Despite those moments of feeling unsettled, her parents were married for more than 60 years. William had worked in Rio de Janeiro as a chauffeur and was a pilot in World War I.
Pearce says her father was always on the go. "He used to make us get up and have a game of tennis before we went to work." She remembers running to get the train afterwards, a piece of toast in one hand.
Gordon went on to be a warrant officer in the Royal New Zealand Air Force and worked on two royal tours. His sister has a photo of him and the Queen Mother.
Pearce went to Wellington Girls' College and then a private college where she learnt to be a shorthand typist. She worked for Charles Begg and Company and also for a company that insured merchant navy and cargo ships.
During World War II, Pearce lived in Wellington as did a lot of other Bristolians; she was honorary secretary of the Bristolian Fellowship. They packed up parcels of food and clothes and sent them to Bristol on a freight ship.
Among the congratulations from dignitaries on her 100th birthday was a letter from the Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees.
Near the end of the war, her friend Betty Roper's air commodore boss offered them a flight on an empty air carrier going to Singapore. They spent two weeks there. On the way home the plane was stranded in Australia as the crew waited four days for a part to arrive.
Pearce and her friend endured hard beds and not a lot of food while they waited. "It was the first time I had been to Australia and that didn't impress me much with the heat. I don't like the heat very much."
When she was 60, Pearce and Roper went on a three-month world tour and visited Bristol. "We slept in 33 different beds. Was I glad to get back to my home bed."
Pearce and Roper had been friends since they were 14; sadly Roper died about three years ago. At one time, Roper was secretary to Mabel Howard. New Zealand's first woman Cabinet minister who is perhaps best remembered for waving two pairs of bloomers in the House to illustrate variation in garments that were meant to be the same size.
Pearce lost two fiances during the war. In 1945, she married Victor James Pearce, known as Jim. They lived in Lower Hutt and in 1961 moved to Manawatū, where Jim worked on farms.
A fraction of the cards and flowers Inez Pearce received for her big day. Among them is a 100 not out bat. Photo / Judith Lacy
On reaching three figures, Pearce says: "You don't think about it, it just comes along. Only when you go to do something you think, 'oh, I can't do that now'."
During the photoshoot, when there was debate about glasses on or off and the need to smile, she quipped: "Perhaps I need a champagne or something."
Pearce uses a stick to get around and has some problems with her balance but her mind is sharp and her sight and hearing are okay, plus she still has her own teeth. She still cooks, bakes, gardens and does one volunteer shift a week at Trade Aid.
Asked what she puts her good health down to, Pearce told the Manawatū Guardian last year: "I come from a line of long-livers I suppose, I drink plenty of water."
She also attributes her long life to belonging to clubs and having interests, such as antiques, china painting and outdoor bowls.
She has two daughters - Cherie, who lives in Perth, and Sandra, who lives with her. She has two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
An animal lover and current cat owner, Pearce used to ride horses. She played golf at Berhampore in Wellington where players needed to be "mountain goats".
Interview over, she was off to her weekly hair appointment with plenty to chat to her hairdresser about.
