Festive occasion at Charles Fleming Retirement Village to mark Allen Freeman’s 100th birthday

Allen Freeman has joined the centenarians' club.

Allen Freeman, a longtime Kāpiti resident, and now living in the Charles Fleming Retirement Village in Waikanae, recently celebrated his 100th birthday among family and friends who came from as far as Perth and Queensland to spend time with this astute centenarian.

Allen was encouraged by singing and hollering to take a deep breath and blow out his birthday cake candles before they triggered the village smoke alarms.

A dozen large ‘100′ helium balloons and several vases of flowers from Allen’s own garden decorated the library where a generous spread was laid out for afternoon tea — with champagne spritzers enjoyed by all.

Allen received messages from King Charles and Camilla, Governor-General Cindy Kiro and the outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and many others.

Australian nephews David and Grant Freeman put together a fascinating large-screen TV slideshow spanning most of the 100 years of Allen’s life to date. Born and bred in Wellington, Allen is proud of the service he undertook a few decades later with the New Zealand Airforce Medical Corp in Guatemala during World War II.

Back in New Zealand, he became heavily involved in everything to do with cars including racing them alongside Brabham, Fangio and Moss in the New Zealand Grand Prix.

Allen owned and raced a rare Lago-Talbot T26C and until recently owned and drove a beautifully restored vintage Morgan Plus Four.

This is the man Stirling Moss tapped on the shoulder just before the start of the 1961 Grand Prix at Ardmore asking him to pull sharply to the left when the starting flag came down, as he was ‘coming through’, which he most certainly did, moving at speed from a penalty position at the back of the field, into the lead.

Buying and selling cars and racing some of them remained a major interest of Allen’s for decades.

In later years he became a stalwart and very active car club member travelling to events throughout New Zealand.

Congratulations Allen Tourell Freeman — celebrating 100 years of action — and still counting.

- Bev Pratt