Northland's Betty Hooper turns 100 and still as sharp as ever

Betty Hooper with a card from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with a handwritten note wishing her a happy birthday. Photo / Kristin Edge

Betty Hooper is an absolute delight and at 100 years old she still finds life exciting.

In fact, the word exciting punctuates her conversation as Hooper, who turns 100 today, talks about her century of life.

During a three-hour interview it feels like you're not even getting the highlight reel, such is the richness of her life and her amazing ability to recall dates, times, places and names.

"It's my life you know, it's been a long life," she says and starts laughing.

"Sometimes I forget where I put my bloody glasses so that's why I have about 12 pairs around the house. And I only need those to read the fine print you know," she laughs again.

She recommends everyone have some excitement in their lives. But her most succinct piece of advice for young people is: "Trust your gut feeling. If it doesn't feel right, stop and think about it. That's what I do."

Betty Hooper loves crafts including making paper bead necklaces. Photo / Kristin Edge

Hooper is not on prescription medication, preferring homoeopathic options, and the only medical substance she has in her rented Hikurangi house, where she lives, is Panadol.

She still drives regularly to Whangārei and markets in the Bay of Islands — "Well how else would I get round."

Her well-lived life began when she was born on the brick floor of her grandfather's farmhouse and delivered by a gypsy woman, in Fairlight village in East Sussex, England. The date was February 7, 1920.

Hopper has had a love of children all her life, even though she had none of her own.

Her dream was to become a teacher and a talent that was recognised when she was a teenager.

She had an interest in arts from a young age but always wanted to be a teacher.

"The headmistress gave me a letter to take home to Mum. She wanted to see her and tell her I would be a good teacher and she wanted to train me for five years."

However, a day after finishing school her mother packed Hooper off to a job as a live-in maid at age 14.

"I'm talking about the days when children of working class parents were only expected to be as good as their parents. I was destined to do domestic work.

"It was tough for me to leave home. I cried all night."

She worked a number of maid jobs before working at the local post office and "all hell let lose" when WWII broke out.

"I remember diving for cover or heading for the shelter at the end of the garden as the German planes went overhead."

From her parents' place in Slough, 32km west of central London, the destruction caused by bombers was clear.

"You could see London burning at night."

She ended up in the office of a factory that was building bombs for the war. It was then an advert in the paper caught her eye - a teacher was needed for IHC students. After two interviews she got the job to teach about 20 students aged between 4 and 28.

"Children with special needs were locked up in hospitals and kept out of sight, but at the end of WWII, the cot case wards were needed because of all the soldiers coming back from the front.

"It was a new thing to go in and teach them and bring them out into the public eye. It was an exciting time developing relationships with these children and getting the community to acknowledge them."

As she talks, warmth about the young children she has helped over the years is evident. As Hooper speaks of 8-year-old English boy "Trevor" tears roll down her cheeks. She knew something was wrong with the child and got him to hospital.

However, neglect by his family had left him with a fatal kidney condition.

"I'll never forget him, he died on my birthday but he should never have died."

Betty Hooper, an amazing woman with an interesting 100 years to celebrate. Photo / Kristin Edge

In 1968 Hooper came to New Zealand on a ship first class with her husband Joe and her mother, who turned 80 during the voyage, their three cats and one dog.

It was a merchant sailor in England who spoke of warm climes in northern New Zealand "warm enough to grow grapefruit" that convinced them to move to a new land across the ocean.

Making their home in Western Hills Drive, Whangārei, they bought a goat to keep the lawn down but soon saw potential in making a living from milking goats.

Tragedy struck in 1974 when her husband died suddenly, before the couple could build up the goat farm they'd planned. Eventually Hooper did create a farm, becoming the first person in Northland with a permit to sell raw goat milk. But all along she was learning more about food-related health and behavioural problems.

Her work with special needs children stimulated an interest in how good nutrition, or lack of it, affects children's health and ability to learn.

For more than 25 years, Hooper collected evidence relating to the treatment of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

She wanted parents to know about the value of good nutrition and the importance of avoiding artificial additives. In a very visual demonstration she has dyed homespun wool with "Raro" imitation fruit drink crystals.

The highly coloured crystals make a beautiful, and apparently permanent dye for natural fabrics such as cotton or wool. She said New Zealand allowed many artificial colours that were banned in Europe in foods and beverages.

Hooper is passionate about giving less fortunate children with potential the opportunities to develop. At Hikurangi Primary School she has helped pupils over the years who have found reading difficult by giving them one-on-one lessons.

In New Zealand she worries about children in poverty, saying there is no need for it but it seems to be a problem that is not getting any better.

"We need to look after our children, they can't speak for themselves."

Another of her passions is silk painting and in 1980 went to Washington, US, to an International Silk Painters Association conference. In 2005 she travelled to Europe, also exhibiting her silk paintings.

Hooper says another exciting adventure was travelling to Cuba where she combined her interest in nutrition and silk painting.

In Cuba she said few kids have regular dairy products but all have well-balanced cooked lunches at school, the only fast food joint on the whole island is at the staff quarters at Guantanamo Bay. There are 12 million people and not one with ADHD, there is a low crime rate, no one is illiterate, she said. And until she visited, there was no such thing as silk painting.

So what is this remarkable woman doing to celebrate her birthday.

"I don't want to do anything. I have a friend visiting so we'll have a cup of tea and sit back and have a yak."

A card from the Queen and one from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with a handwritten note lie on the kitchen bench.

She waves her hand when the cards are mentioned, she's not much for formalities.
However, it is a celebration tomorrow at Hikurangi Primary School she has got wind of and is, just quietly, looking forward to.

If Hooper's track record is anything to go by she reckons she will be around to celebrate a few more birthdays.