Liston Heights Care Home resident Barbara Wright reflects on her extraordinary 100th birthday. Photo / Rachel Canning
Liston Heights Care Home resident Barbara Wright reflects on her extraordinary 100th birthday. Photo / Rachel Canning
Fondly known as "The Queen" by her family, it was fitting that Taupō's Barbara Wright should wear a tiara and receive Prince Harry on her 100th birthday.
Although it was a stand-in Prince Harry, the Liston Heights Care Home resident was delighted by the care and attention she received on her actual birthday, June 4, during Covid-19 alert level 2. Daughter Angela said her mother received a letter from the Queen and was given a beautiful birthday cake and lunch by Liston Heights.
"The mayor arrived and someone dressed up as Prince Harry presented Mum with a card saying 'My grandmother apologises for not giving this to you personally but she is far too busy with the horses.' Mum said 'Who are you?' and he answered 'Harry Windsor'."
Visitors were not allowed, but Barbara Wright (right) was made to feel special on her 100th birthday. Prince Harry look-alike (left), mayor David Trewavas (middle).
At that time Liston Heights was taking a precautionary approach and not allowing visitors into the care facility. So the Taupō community came to Barbara instead. A notice was put on a Taupō social media board inviting people to drive into Liston Heights and Angela said members of a classic car club, emergency services, a group of mothers and children with balloons and Mr Whippy drove past while her tiara-wearing mother sat in the window and waved.
"Taupō did itself so proud, said Angela.
"Residents [from Liston Heights] came and stood outside and sang songs. The thing that really blew me away was Mum received a letter from one of the mothers saying 'today Jack learnt a really important life lesson. If you give happiness to others it makes you happy'," said Angela.
Barbara Wright reading a letter from the Queen on her 100th birthday. Photo / Angela Wright
Not allowed into Liston Heights, but allowed to take Barbara out, Angela said her family took Barbara down to Hatepe for the day "and the champagne flowed." Unfortunately Melbourne-based son Richard Wright and his two children were unable to attend due to the borders being closed. Angela said Richard was devastated, but philosophical that lots of families are separated during this time and many are missing out on family occasions due to Covid-19.
Born in Hāwera in 1920, Barbara was raised in Pātea by her mother whose family owned general merchandise shop Gibson's Store. She attended Nga Tawa Diocesan School in Marton as a boarder for her fifth, sixth and seventh form years as her mother was determined she didn't catch the train to the local high school in Hāwera.
"My mother said train children were never well behaved," said Barbara.
With war imminent, 17-year-old Barbara was determined not to go back to Pātea.
"It was Wellington or nowhere! I got a job at the Reserve Bank as a junior clerk."
The onset of war brought her back to Pātea, to help her mother run the store.
"What made Pātea bearable was Pattie Hamilton. It was very exciting when the Americans arrived. But [due to the war] we didn't have much of a time with the young men," said Barbara.
Legendary in her family for her wartime romances and general high jinx, Angela says her mother had a string of admirers.
"Famously, her school friend Hilda Bell [nee Kingi] wrote a letter to a young man in Palmerston North about how Barbara was such a beauty. He came up to meet her, and at the time she had two other love interests!' said Angela.
Barbara recalls what life for a young woman in the backblocks was like during the early part of the war.
"In Pātea [at that time] you seemed to marry your neighbour. If I had a couple of hundred hectares I would have been very eligible."
Heartache was to follow when a young man she cared about was killed in the war and Barbara went to live with her Aunt Lucy, who she was very close to.
Barbara says her aunts and father played golf and bridge and remembers their advice: "if you play golf and bridge you will have a social life anywhere in the world". Barbara became expert at both. Angela says Barbara was top of her game and played until old age.
Living in Remuera for most of her life, Barbara says she also loved gardening and family camping holidays around the East Coast.
Dick and Barbara Wright. Photo / Supplied
In her late 20s Barbara moved to Auckland and met "Mr Right", marrying Dick Wright in 1949. Angela says when the war finished, her mother became part of a lively social scene.
"All their friends had married, so they paired up," said Angela. Not long after their marriage the couple adopted orphaned relative, Rosanne, 4. They went on to have three children together, Angela, Richard, and Jennifer, who died in her 20s.
Referred to as "The Queen" by her children and husband, Angela says by contrast Dick was sweet and mild-mannered.
Angela says a highlight of her mother's life was a trip to Europe with Carol McLean, the wife of sports journalist Terry McLean in 1972, aged 52 years.
"They had an absolute ball and ended up extending the trip to three months. She said it was the most fun time of her life. No one dared ask what they got up to!" said Angela.
Around 45 years ago Barbara and Dick retired to their Taupō holiday home in Henry Hill Rd. Dick passed away about 25 years ago, and Barbara stayed on in the couple's home, moving to Liston Heights a year ago.
Asked if she had any pearls of wisdom to offer, from 100 years of a life well lived, Barbara said you need good friends,
