A resident of Fairmead Court in Rondebosch celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends at the care centre on Monday December 2.
Hillary van der Riet was born in Liverpool, England, in 1924, but moved to Bloemfontein in South Africa at the age of 2. She attended St Michaels Primary School and matriculated from Eunice High School at the age of 15. She did a BA in education at the University of the Free State and taught English, Latin and history for some time before getting married.
Her husband, Tommy, whom she married during World War II, was a pilot and later a pilot instructor. The couple moved to Port Elizabeth, where they had three children – Roslyn Hanpock, who now lives in America; Pyllida Louw, from Cape Town, and a son, Clive, who died from cancer at the age of 68.
Ms Van der Riet has six grandchildren, all boys.
Her fondest memories are of spending time at the beach on Christmas every year with her parents, body surfing, and spending time with her children.
She moved to Fairmead Court in January 2021 to be closer to her daughter. Her son had cared for her in Port Elizabeth until his death.
Ms Van der Riet said she was surprised to have made it to 100 and felt blessed. She advised others to “be content with life”.
Nursing manager Shenice Weitz said: “One hundred years is an astonishing achievement, and you should be very proud of yourself. We at Fairmead Court are pleased to have celebrated this day with you. Congratulations on reaching such an amazing milestone.”
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