100-year-old Jessie Jones (centre) celebrating in Te Awamutu with her sisters Vera, 96 (left) and Clara, 98 and brother Jim, 94. Photo / Kate Durie
100-year-old Jessie Jones (centre) celebrating in Te Awamutu with her sisters Vera, 96 (left) and Clara, 98 and brother Jim, 94. Photo / Kate Durie
On Friday, September 15, friends and family of Jessie Jones gathered to celebrate her 100th birthday.
She is described as a loving wife, partner and family woman, a devoted royalist, deeply religious, a keen bowler, a wonderful baker and decorator of cakes for all family and friends’ special events.
Jessie Pearson Osborne was born in Hamilton on September 15, 1923, to Les (affectionately known as LG) and Mary Birrell (a young Scottish lass). Jessie was the first of six children of LG’s second marriage, and she had four half-siblings from his first marriage.
The family farmed at Tuhikaramea and Jessie went to school at Te Kowhai for two years and Hangatiki for a year, before her family purchased a farm at Mangaotaki in 1930 near Piopio.
In a district reunion book, Jessie’s contribution headed ‘Moving into the Valley’ reads ‘Mum travelled in the furniture lorry, ahead of Dad and us children in the car. Somewhere just the other side of the Mangaotaki Gorge bridge, the car slipped into the water table and became stuck. Dad walked on to the farm to get help and I started walking with the rest of the family. For wee Jim (a baby of less than 2 years) the going was rough, and he began to cry. What could I do? Around a corner, I spied a roadman’s wheelbarrow. We put Vera and Jim into this and started pushing. We pushed and rested and pushed again. Eventually, Dad met us. It wasn’t long before more tears were shed - where are we going to live? Finally, we arrived at a corrugated iron house. It had a big chimney and was surrounded by trees. This was our home for the next nine years.’
As the eldest Jessie had the task of getting all the children to safety along that rough road. It was a perfect example of her attitude throughout her life - being there to help others, especially family, an acceptance of responsibility and a strong spirit.
At Mangaotaki Jessie would make sure all the children got to and from school... all six on one horse.
In 1939 the family shifted to Pōkuru, firstly to Jim Karl’s property (now the Stewart Alexander Golf Course) and then to Gus Candy’s on Candy Road.
Five years later, Jessie’s mother bought the tearooms in Piopio and shifted back there, while Jessie kept house for LG until he could shift at the end of the season. Soon after, on June 21, 1944, 20-year-old Jessie married Bruce Boswell.
The couple farmed 55 acres on Pōkuru Factory Road in conjunction with Bruce’s father’s 79 acres next door. Jessie and Bruce had two sons, Graham and Malcolm, while on the farm.
Jessie Jones celebrating her 100th birthday in Te Awamutu. Photo / Kate Durie
In 1953 ill health forced Bruce off the farm and he and Jessie built a new house on Puniu Road. Bruce began driving milk tankers and working part-time at Osbornes Transport as his health allowed. At this time Jessie had already developed her cake decorating skills, and Bruce had built her a special shelf in the hot water cupboard where iced cakes could be placed to dry.
She was also collecting books on the Royal family – her favourite being the recently crowned Queen Elizabeth II.
Much later in her life Jessie would comment that she would love to turn 100 so she could get a card from Her Majesty.
A huge gap was left in Jessie’s life when her mother died on Christmas Eve 1953. She had a special relationship with her mother and as the eldest of the second Osborne family, she played a big role in the care and upbringing of her younger brothers and sisters.
Jessie was often heard to say, ‘That was how my mother taught me’. She always treated everyone with deep love and respect - just as her mother taught her.
In 1955 Jessie and Bruce’s third son Noel was born.
From the early 1960s Jessie meticulously kept day-to-day diaries which showed her attention to detail and the daily chores on top of regular cooking and cleaning required to look after her husband and children - darning socks, shortening trousers, preserving, icing cakes - as well as her involvement in many community activities, including church, kindergarten, Boys Brigade, Country Womens Institute, school and bowling.
Bruce and Jessie spent many happy weekends in their caravan at Elizabeth Gardens at Mount Maunganui. Bruce apparently often used to say, ‘One day we are going to own this’.
In May 1969 that day arrived. Jessie wasn’t happy to be moving away from Te Awamutu at first and recorded that she sulked all the way to the Mount and wouldn’t speak, but soon got down to work and came to enjoy her four years as ‘Camp Mother’ - writing ‘I loved every minute of it’.
Worsening health for Bruce led to the sale of the camp in 1973. Three years later Jessie lost the love of her life when Bruce died.
In July 1977 Jessie set off on a four-month world tour. The place she most wanted to visit was the village of Leslie, just north of Edinburgh in Scotland, where her mother was born.
Jessie described this visit as one of the most memorable times of her life. Her diary notes she celebrated by buying a red dress there for £9.
Jessie eventually moved back to Te Awamutu and spent an enjoyable nine years with partner Trevor Murphy following the horses, fishing, and travelling locally and overseas.
Her faith was again tested when she was in Darwin for her son Noel’s wedding in July 1987 and Trevor passed away.
Te Awamutu Bowling Club became her sanctuary. Also looking for company following the recent death of his wife was John Jones.
They became a couple, and John would say it was a wonder to him that he met Jessie and that she responded to his ‘somewhat clumsy courting efforts’.
They were married at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on March 17, 1990 and had their reception at the Bowling Club - the two places they continued to give so much time and energy, and in return, received so much pleasure and fellowship.
Whilst they both had health issues, their faith and devotion to each other meant they were able to overcome and accept any difficulties during their 31 years together.
They had many friends and she loved being the home-maker for her man, as well as doing things for other people.
Jessie was active and busy until she started to lose her sight and her hearing.
Following a fall in July 2020, Jessie was transferred to Tarahill Rest Home for respite care.
John made the difficult decision that Jessie could be better cared for at the facility, and while the separation was not easy for either of them, the care Jessie received more than compensated.
Sadly, less than a year later John passed away in hospital following a fall. Once again Jessie was heartbroken.
She continued to receive care at Tarahill until it closed and is now being lovingly looked after at Beattie Home in Ōtorohanga.
She celebrated her 100th birthday with friends and family, including her sisters Vera, 96 and Clara, 98 and brother Jim, 94.
