100 YEARS OLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 305, 27 December 1939, Page 4

100 YEARS OLD.

BIRTHDAY TO-DAY.

HAMILTON RESIDENT.

TELEGRAM FROM KING.

(By Telegraph—Own Correspondent.)

HAMILTON, this day.

Mre. Mary Dillon, Nixon Street, Hamilton East, celebrated her 100 th birthday to-day.

A resident of the Waikato for the last 75 years, Mre. Dillon was born in Covnty Mayo, Ireland, in 1839. Mrs. Dillon still enjoys fairly good health, and takes a remarkable interest in world affairs.

Among her early memories is the terrible famine which swept Ireland when she was a child. She recalls how America sent across shiploads of Indian meal in an attempt to save the lives of the starving people. Mrs. Dillon went to America with her sister at the age of 10, and lived with her aunt in New York until «he was 18. She clearly remembers the celebrations at the completion of the laying of the great Atlantic cable on August 5, 1858, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

When she was 18 Mrs. Dillon returned to Ireland, where ehe was married. Shortly afterward her husband went to Australia, and she returned to America, arriving in that country when the Civil War was drawing to an end. Meanwhile her busband joined the militia and came to New Zealand. Later Mrs; Dillon made the then hazardous voyage out to the Dominion. Then 25 ▼ears old, she settled at Alexandria, now called Pirongia, where residents went in continual fear of raida by bande of marauding Maoris. Mrs. Dillon subsequently moved to Cambridge, and later Still to Hamilton, where ehe ha* been a resident for 31 years. She takes a great deal of interest in New Zealand politics. Mr. Dillon died 91 years ago, while Mrs. Dillon's son died six veare ago. She has two dauj»hte¥e. Mrs. Dillon received telegrams to"-day from the King and the Mayor of Hamilton, Mri H. D. Caro. Four generations were represented at her birthday party.