ALMOST A CENTENARIAN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 9 May 1925, Page 10

ALMOST A CENTENARIAN

Si'll. 1. ‘ GAME AS A PEBBLE” AN 01,D MAN’S ADVICE “AT,WAYS BE HAPPY” "Do von know that there is a man living at Knox Home, Tamaki, who is nearly 100 years old, and had his leg sue. eossfully amputated when over 99?” was a question put to a, representative of the

Auckland Star, who forthwith followed up the hint.. “Here is someone to see you, grandfather,” said the pleasant-faced attendant who conducted the visitor to the veranda where Mr William Reeves was sitting, pvopped up in a chair with a rug over Ids knees, a tin of tobacco, box of matches, and a pipe bandy. The old gentleman gave a pleasant smile of welcome, and then said: ‘‘l like io see a man enjoy a smoke.” Evidently “Mv Lady Nicotine” cannot bo blamed for shortening Mr Reeves’ life, seeing that Ids hundredth milestone is on tlio third of August, next. Great age is usually associated with a shrunken figure and wrinkled features, hut this was a man ruddy enough in complexion for a much younger man. while his features do not impress one with the idea that, ho lias nearly lived a century. Evidently the patriarch is popular in the home, for another and much younger inmate remarked: “He is hard of hearing, so you must, speak up, but he is the games! 'of us all, notwithstanding his great, age. I toll you, he is as game as a pebble, never troubles the nurses, and we are glad to fill his pipe whenever he wants it.” A MAN OF KENT In the course of an interesting conversation, the old gentleman stated that lie was born at Maidstone, Kent, England, and came to Now Zealand in the ship India, well over half a century ago. ‘Y am very hard of hearing,” he sa.id, “and I can’t, see to read easily, but I have a good memorv and take a lot of interest in things, t was apprenticed to the gardening and was with Squire Powell at Fulham, but I wanted to learn more., so a man told me to come over to his place, at Canterbury. However, I was sent up to the town-house at London.”

It seemed like going back a long way when Mr Reeves related that he was working under Sir Joseph Paxton, laying out tiie gardens at Crystal Palace, nearly 75 years ago. HARD TIMES IN AUCKLAND “Times were very hard,” ho said, “when T arrived in Auckland. I took up my work at gardening. You will perhaps remember Mr Graham; well, I helped to ]ay out his gardens at Ellerslie, We made quite a pretty place of it, but the ground is now partly in the racecourse. T also worked for Mr Graham at Waiwera.” Mr Reeves is greatly interested in the fact that the railway is coming Tamaki way. “When that, railway is through, it will make a. great alteration hero,” he remarked. “Lots of people will come to live, out this way, and there will be a lawn spring up. Who would have believed that Auckland would have grown the way it has? Why, when I came here, just after the Maori war was over, Auckland was not much of a place, yet, see the way it has grown. “Times were so bad when I arrived, that I would have been glad to get away again, but what could I do but, stay here, and I have lived to sec it grow into a big city.” HAPPY OLD AGE The great, thing is to always be happy, said Mr Reeves. I am always happy. Some of my people come to see me every Sunday, and often on Wednesday. The doctor told mo at the hospital,, when lie cut off my leg, that T was the oldest patient he had operated on. ‘That was about six months ago. The wonderful vitality of Mr Reeves is shown by the fact that when over 99 years of age. he came successfully through such a serious operation as the .■imputation of a leg. The old man threw back a rug, and cocked up the stump of his fog, and laughing in a jolly manner said, “That’s all tliev left me of it.”

An inmate, .silting near at Lard, on (lie verandah, remarked as the visitor was leaving: “lie’ll pass the hundred mark all right. He is happy and has no intention of dying yet- All. he wants is a wooden log, and a crutch so that he. can get a limit again.”