Pat Harwood turned 100 on October 24, and she celebrated her birthday with family at Whangamata, some of whom had travelled vast distances to be present.
Over her long life, Pat and her late husband Keith farmed in Athenree, cropping strawberry plants and onions. Keith was also a school bus driver. The couple came to to the town as newlyweds in 1946 and were well-respected members of the community. They moved to Tauranga in 1979, and since March 2020, Pat has lived a stone's throw from her original home in Athenree - a place she says is her favourite, although she loves all of the Bay of Plenty.
Pat is proud of her Scottish heritage. Pat's father, David Ogilvy, was from Kirriemuir, Scotland, and came to New Zealand in his late teens to live with one of his uncles, who was based in Leamington. He married Agnes Shearer, who was from Hawera. On her special day, Pat wore her sash of Ogilvy hunting tartan as a nod to her ancestry.
Pat keeps excellent health without any medications. Her only "meds" are mānuka honey, dark peppermint chocolate and crystalised ginger.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II meant Pat's letter of congratulations had to be composed by her daughter-in-law Lorna Harwood, who said she turned the communique into an "unofficial letter from the Queen, which was more of a 'this is your life' letter for her." The letter was read aloud at her birthday party.
