Happy 100th birthday to Rose Village’s Helen Bird
ROOSEVELT PARK – The 100-year-old lady of many talents is still putting a book of poems together for all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Methodist Homes Rose Village celebrates the 100th birthday of an extraordinary lady: Helen Bird.
Methodist Homes Rose Village has called on the community to help them wish their long-time and loved resident Helen Bird a happy birthday as she turned 100 on 15 April. Many at Rose Village will recall that Bird set up a fund for residents who need financial assistance with medical issues, especially those who do not have medical aid, called the Rose Bowl. Having stayed at Rose Village over the last 27 years and shared many smiles, laughs, moments and experiences with the lovely and kind residents, staff and management of the retirement village, she is grateful for it all. While Bird has a few tips on how to reach 100 years, top of her list is love. She expressed, “God is love and we must allow love to fill our hearts.”
Helen Bird grew up in Pretoria, attending Brooklands Primary and finishing high school at Pretoria Girls’ High. She explained, “My father was a railway engineer so we moved around quite a lot, mother was educated at Oxford, England, and taught in Durban which put me on a path to higher learning. I became a mathematics teacher and continued to tutor well into my 80s.”
Widowed after a happy 25 year of marriage, Frank and Helen were blessed with three girls and two boys. Bird added, “My teaching career gave me great flexibility as it allowed me to also be a home maker, enabling me to teach my own children and grandchildren.”
As she celebrates her 100th birthday, she does this as the proud grandmother of 13 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren with whom she keeps regular contact.
Bird got involved with ‘Girls Club’ where children were taught knitting, crochet and crafts after school. She loves to embroider and has over the years made many pieces which she gifts to her family. She also loves to do gardening and is an avid Sudoku player, tackling the hard games. She began writing poetry after being inspired by a writer who said: ‘God gives us 24 hours fresh each day’. With the assistance of her daughter and grand-daughter, who is a photographer, Bird is putting together a book of poems which she says she hopes to gift to her children.
In 1994 Helen took up residence at Methodist Homes Rose Village in Roosevelt Park, leaving her flat in Linden. Bird holds a special place in her heart for all those at Rose Village that have made her stay there enjoyable. “I love all the managers that have looked after the Rose Village residents over the years and I absolutely adore the peace and quiet of the village.”
The Rose Village family shared, “Thank you for your foresight and generosity. You truly are a phenomenal woman. We love you Helen! Happy birthday.”
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