Northland's newest centenarian, Henry Driver, surrounded at his Kerikeri home by photos of his and his wife's many descendants. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Northland's newest centenarian, Henry Driver, surrounded at his Kerikeri home by photos of his and his wife's many descendants. Photo / Peter de Graaf
PD071020NADDRIVER3.JPG Henry Driver, 100, has recounted his life in a book called A bit about Henry Driver. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Honesty, fair dealing and clean living.
Those are the secrets to good relationships and a long life according to Northland's newest centenarian, Henry Driver of Kerikeri.
He wasborn in Pukekohe on October 5, 1920, and raised as a country boy in Clevedon, always destined to be a dairy farmer. You wouldn't catch him raising sheep, "those dumb bloody things".
Henry's three older brothers were packed off to the war but he was needed at home. After finishing his army training at Waiouru he was instructed to head north where his parents had bought a farm on Kerikeri Rd.
During the "Jap scare" towards the end of the war he was sent to an army camp at Okaihau, where he met Doris "Dolly" Neumann.
In 1945 he bought parents' 110 acre (45ha) farm for the princely sum of £2400 — the area is still called Driver's Hill by some — and in 1949 he married Dolly.
They had two daughters, one of whom died in childhood. Later, when Dolly was 46, she "put her heart and soul" into having another baby, and son Neil was born.
Henry Driver, 100, has recounted his life in a book called A bit about Henry Driver. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Meanwhile Henry's parents had bought a farm at Matauri Bay and donated part of it for children's learning. Lonsdale Park still operates an outdoor education camp.
Henry took over the farm in 1953 and served for many years on the Whangaroa County Council, the Whangaroa Hospital Board and the local Veterinary Club. He was also a director of the Bay of Islands Dairy Company.
When Dolly fell ill with cancer he nursed her at home with help from her best friend Val, who had lost her husband to a heart attack.
They stayed in touch after Dolly's death and, a few years later, love blossomed.
"What was left was a woman with no husband, and a man with no wife. We fixed that."
Henry said he'd had two happy marriages — one of 35 years, the other 36 and counting.
"The secret is, one, be honest with everyone you deal with; and, two, be fair in all your dealings. If you fit the two together you've got it pretty much right."
Henry was less certain about the secret to longevity but "good, straight living" was part of it.
"I was brought up in a good Christian household. You never found any grog in our house. I can thank my parents for that."
At one point in his life Henry suffered greatly from stress. It would now be called burnout and could have ended badly, but he stepped back from his public duties and recovered six months later.
His advice for others in a similar situation was to "recognise what's happening, do something about it, and give yourself time to come right".
Henry celebrated his 100-year milestone on Monday with a birthday bash at Kaikohe Memorial Hall organised by members of the Masons' Zealandia Lodge.
Not only is Henry the oldest active Mason in New Zealand, he's probably the oldest active English-constitution Mason in the world.
He lives independently at Kerikeri Retirement Village and remains dedicated to Val, who is in the nearby care centre.
Both helped out as volunteers around the village for many years until "retiring" in 2016, when Henry was 96.
