Edna’s stylish birthday ‘spin’

DRIVER Fred Boggis (right) holds open the door of his 1932 Ford so Edna Hamlyn can enjoy the bells ringing at St John’s Church to mark her 100th birthday. 066061AD

By Cathy Asplin

Edna Hamlyn drove her 1967 Ford Cortina until she was 96, so it was no wonder she enjoyed heading out for a spin in another Ford for her 100th birthday.

The 1932 Ford led a convoy of vintage cars around town before stopping at St John’s Church to hear the bells being rung to mark the special milestone.

Edna Hamlyn (nee Ramsay) was born on March 2, 1906 at Puketarata (near Kio Kio) and grew up at Te Mawhai. She attended Te Mawhai School, which her father Hugh Ramsay was instrumental in starting, riding by horse there and back each day. Later on she caught the train into Te Awamutu, where she was a first day pupil at the high school.

The family eventually shifted into town and Mr Ramsay ran a boarding house (which still stands today behind the College Superette).

As he had four daughters Mr Ramsay always encouraged the men who stayed in the house to marry them - and they did. Edna was married on January 28, 1928 to one of the boarders, Rex Hamlyn, who was a linesman and went on to become a substation attendant.

The couple moved around the country, where he worked at various substations, before heading to Auckland to live. Although they never had any children, they always had nephews and nieces visit, many of them from the Te Awamutu area.

Mr Hamlyn passed away in 1980, so Edna eventually came back to this area and now resides at Te Ata Rest Home. It was there the celebrations for her 100th birthday were based. Vintage cars lined up outside the rest home in the morning to take Edna and fellow residents for a birthday ‘spin’. The residents then returned to share a luncheon with Edna’s family and friends.

After lunch she cut her 100th birthday cake (which featured a model car), listened to speeches and opened cards which included messages from the Queen, Governor General and Prime Minister.

During speeches it was explained that Edna thought people had a better chance of reaching 100 if they didn’t tell any lies or swear. So it was a surprise to many that at 90 she had confessed to an event when she was a young girl. During a parson’s visit to their Te Mawhai home Edna and her younger brother came across the parson’s horse tied up to a rail. Her older brother, who had shot a rabbit and was busy preparing it for lunch, had left his loaded rifle nearby, which young Edna decided to pick up. She bravely told her little brother she was going to shoot the parson’s horse and with that pulled the trigger. Fortunately Edna missed - the horse bolted and so did she. Big brother George carried the blame for the event - not wishing to own up to the fact that he had left a loaded gun unattended. It obviously weighed on Edna’s mind that the truth wasn’t told, however, and she ‘came clean’ more than 80 years later.

Edna didn’t have any confessions for her 100th birthday, but did thank everyone for her ‘wonderful’ day.