"They all lived into their late 80s and 90s," says son Royce Tunbridge. He says Nora's mother and grandmother also lived into their 90s.
Nora was educated at Holy Infancy Primary School in Aramoho. She says it was also known as Sister Rita's school — Sister Rita taught there for 40 years.
"And then Sacred Heart on the hill," she says. During her schooling, the family lived in Boydfield St and then Wilkie St, both in Wanganui East. "I walked to school for years."
When her secondary education finished, Nora worked at the woollen mills in Aramoho.
"I was 'manpowered' there," she says, referring to a term whereby essential industries and services were staffed during wartime employee shortages.
Nora's long-term employment was at the Home of Compassion, where she served in reception for 31 years. It started out as a three-week job. "I loved it there."
She met her husband Tom when she was crossing the railway bridge to her woollen mills job. He was doing maintenance on the bridge.
"I had a cake of chocolate I was taking to work," she says. Suddenly it was taken straight out of her hand. "It was him."
Tom served overseas during the war. "He was wounded in Italy," says Nora. "When the war finished he was sent to Japan for 12 months' occupational duties. He came home in '46."
"Dad swam for the NZ Defence Forces over there," says Royce. He also swam at the Gonville Swimming Club.
They were married in 1946 but Tom died in 1964. He was a glazier at Tingey's, a well-known Whanganui firm.
Tom and Nora started their married life in Kelvin St, then moved into a home in Tay St, Aramoho, just around the road from Holy Infancy Primary School.
About 46 years ago, Nora moved into a place in Carlton Ave, close to her indoor bowls club.
Until recently, Nora was still tending her own gardens and mowing her lawns.
"She had beautiful gardens," says Karene. "She was always getting comments on how well she kept them." She regularly won prizes in the annual Lions Club garden competitions.
She never drove, so walking was her main form of transport.
Nora has no idea why she has kept such good health for so long, but Royce and Karene put it down to clean living and independence. Nora says it could be because she played a lot of sport over the years.
"First of all, I played softball for Dodgers," she says, including one game in Palmerston North to which she cycled from Wanganui, stopping at Mt Stewart for a breather.
She also played outdoor basketball, as netball was then called. The woollen mills had a team that Nora got together and organised. She also refereed basketball at that time.
"Then we had indoor basketball. We used to play at the YMCA."
She used to bike to all her games.
"I took on indoor bowls and played for Carlton School, then outdoor bowls for Gonville Women's." Her indoor bowls career lasted more than 30 years.
"One of the highlights was probably playing with me in the pairs," says Royce. "She did all the work." That was the open pairs at the stadium in Springvale.
"Another highlight was when she played outdoor bowls in the Masters Games. Two mothers and two sons played in the mixed fours: Murray Ahern and his mother, May, and Mum and I played." Royce says they played another couple of tournaments together. Nora brought home a gold medal from one of her Masters Games pairs competitions.
"Mum is a great Crusaders fan," says Royce.
"My father played rugby for Canterbury," says Nora. "So I've always backed the Crusaders." And her favourite player of all time? "It would have to be Dan Carter."
Her husband, Tom, played for Pirates' Senior B team.
In 2000 she had her hip replaced and decided it was a good time to retire from the Home of Compassion.
Nora has a walker these days, and is a little hard of hearing ... "And the newspaper print is smaller," she says.
She doesn't do a lot now, except let Karene and Ally look after her. She spent 13 weeks in St John's Health Care — formerly her old workplace, the Home of Compassion — after cracking a femur while chasing a serviette in the back yard, so her exercise is limited.
On Tuesday, August 9, her family will make sure she has a lovely birthday.
