Newspaper Article 2017 – Some magical moments for Nellie

Some Magical moments for Nellie

BY BRENDA VOWDEN
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Nellie Moran’s life has been full of many magical moments.

What better way to celebrate turning 100 than with a magic show. Nellie’s family, who chipped in for the show, joined with friends and residents of the Masonic village where she lives to share her special day recently. Nellie says she never gave turning 100 a moment’s thought and says her longevity doesn’t come down to “the booze” – it has to be a special occasion and then “just a drop of wine”.

It may have been the hard work as a youngster which set Nellie in good stead for a long life – she was no stranger to putting in a decent day’s slog. Her parents ran a dairy milking herd on Ada St – her father was also the caretaker of Parkvale School and her mum ran the school’s tuckshop. Nellie was roped into working for both.

“I helped with all the window cleaning and we had to scrub all the school’s floors by hand before they decided to oil them – that was great for Mum and Dad. There were 18 cows to milk and somebody had to sweep out the school every school day. There was always plenty to do. We couldn’t get into mischief.”

Nellie’s mother hand-made pies for the tuck shop, cooked in the coal range before the family bought an electric stove.

“What a relief. It was heaven.”

Her sister was a dressmaker so spent her time sewing.

“So she missed all the work – but she had to put the spuds on.”

She also recalls her mother washing nappies in the copper.

“And if that wasn’t enough, Mum had to take in two boarders.”

Nellie’s teenage years began with a jolt when the 1931 earthquake struck the region. She remembers it well.

“The parapet came down at Parkvale School – it brought down a few bricks.”

She says after that, with their home unsafe, they couldn’t get their mother near a fence so they slept in the middle of a lucerne paddock. A neighbour offered Nellie’s family their macrocarpa hedge to shelter under.

“Which was alright until it rained.

“We had a tent for a while after that. Mum was scared stiff.”

Nellie says the school baths were very new and “stood on its end” during the quake, spilling its contents.

“The waves washed out to the road. It created a huge wave.”

Nellie married George Moran when she was 24. They were married for 70 years and had one daughter, June. George died about six years ago at 99.

“He just missed out – he ran out of steam.”

Nellie has no advice for getting to 100.

“It just happened. I’ve had a few health problems, but I got over them. I have no regrets.”

Photo caption – SPARKLING: Nellie Moran, Hastings, recently turned 100.   PHOTO: DUNCAN BROWN.