Victoria Croad, known as Vicki, became a centenarian last week.
Victoria Croad, known as Vicki, became a centenarian last week.
Pic: BTG080221CROAD2 Caption: Cards sent to Vicki included those from Queen Elizabeth II, Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Pic: BTG080221CROAD3 Caption: Five generations of the Croad family.
By Steve Carle
Victoria Croad from Pahiatua, known as Vicki, became a centenarian last week. The special occasion was celebrated by family and friends at her daughter Hilda Sheppard's home in Pahiatua.
Vicki was born in Eltham on January 27, 1921, was raised there for a short time, then moved to Tararua District to Marima, Kakariki, Hukanui and Eketahuna Districts on dairy farms, rearing pigs.
Cards sent to Vicki included those from Queen Elizabeth II, Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Her schooling was at Marima School, where she achieved a merit award. Her formative years after leaving school saw her as a farmhand at home, helping with milking the cows by hand as well as attending farm duties and assisting with household duties, learning homecraft and gardening.
Her sporting interests and community involvement include tennis, basketball, athletics and dancing at locals halls.
She married Claude Croad in Eketahuna on June 4, 1949 with seven-and-a-half year old daughter Hilda from a former marriage. Hilda settled in at Ballance Primary School.
Along with Hilda, they had Gavin born in 1950 and Linda born in 1952. Vicki and Claude were regular attendees at the Ballance Church. Some Sundays in the summer, a special treat was to go down to the local swimming riverbed for a picnic and a swim. A bigger treat was to go for a day out to Foxton Beach.
Vicki joined Ballance Women's Division and participated in the special skills with competitions such as cooking, preserves, sewing, knitting and flowers and vegetables.
Her sporting interests were tennis, table tennis and later on, bowls. Vicki became a loyal member of the Rose Garden Society and enjoyed a few trips away to other centres. In June 1975 Claude and Vicki moved off the farm to Cecil Place in Palmerston North.
Northern Bowling Club joined Vicki and Claude up as members, Vicki being a very good bowler in her time, playing up to the 2015 season, aged 94 years old. Vicki moved to Waireka Care Home in Pahiatua in 2017 where she lives today.
Vicki now has three children, eight grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and one great great granddaughter.
