102ND BIRTHDAY TODAY

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 194, 15 May 1944, Page 4

102ND BIRTHDAY TODAY

Mrs. Jessie Watt Born in Glasgow in 1542, Mrs. Jessie Watt, now an inmate of St. Mary’s Home, Napier, will celebrate her 102nd birthday today. At the age of 21 she came to New Zealand to visit her brother, the late Mr. J. W. Liddell, who was following the carpentering trade in Foxton. The journey from the homeland, had its excitements. For some time the sailing vessel on which Mrs. Watt was travelling was becalmed on the equator, and later was wrecked in a storm. After many months of travel Mrs. Watt reached Wellington, from where she went by sea to Foxton. Instead of returning to her homeland she married the late Mr. J. Watt and they settled in the Wanganui district, following farming pursuits. Here they met with all the experiences of the early pioneers, and in those days of the Maori Wars many were the dangers faced. At one time, when Mrs. Watt’s second, child was a babe in arms, the military authorities took all the white people from the Westmere district into the barracks at Wanganui, but Mrs. Watt refused to leave her home. More than unfriendly Natives she dreaded deserters from the British Army. who. not unfrequently, molested the settlers in their homes, demanding food and clothing. Till she was 80 years of age Mrs. Watt taught the pianoforte, violin and singing. One of her pupils was Miss Rosina Buckman. whom she persuaded to continue her studies abroad. Mrs. Watt also taught at, a school in the Waverley district for some four years. Throughout her long and active life she has enjoyed excellent health, which she attributes to some extent to her habit of taking long daily walks. At the age of 90 years she enjoyed a flight with Miss Jean Batten, and voiced her disappointment when the aviatrix would not loop-the-loop. but this pleasure is only deferred, as Miss Batten promised to take the then nonagenarian for another flight, and 1 to loop-the-loop. on her next visit to New Zealand. Mrs. Watt also flew with the late Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. Over two years ago she had an accident. sustaining a broken hip. an’d has been unable to walk since. This handicap. however, did not prevent ner from making the journey by train from Auckland to Hastings some two years ago. Of her family of eight, three are still living. They are Mrs. Overbye (Auckland), Messrs. W. Watt (Marton) and J. Watt (Hastings).