Joyce Lockhart, a resident of Elphin Lodge, recently celebrated her 102nd birthday.

She marked the occasion on 16 October, surrounded by loved ones.

Joyce is the last remaining original resident of the retirement village, having moved in in 1991 with her late husband, Ken. Although she has a full-time carer, Joyce continues to live in her cottage.

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Born in 1923 in Sea Point, Cape Town, she has three daughters – Barbara, Pamela and Myrtle – and a host of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Pam and Barbara both visited their mother on her big day, with Pam coming in the morning and Barbara in the afternoon, which meant a double serving of celebratory tea and cake.

After finishing school in Vereeniging, Joyce worked as a secretary for Stewarts and Lloyds in the town until 1945, when she married Kenneth, who was a mechanical engineer at Klip Power Station.

On Joyce’s 100th birthday, her daughter Barbara said that her mother was a “full-time mom”, sewing, knitting, cooking and ferrying her children around.

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Joyce and Ken served on various school and community committees, which continued when they moved to Elphin.

Before retiring to Elphin, the couple settled in Kensington. They travelled locally and abroad, and Joyce served as chairperson for the Anglican Women’s Fellowship and was active in the Mothers’ Union.