Christchurch woman 100 years old today

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32604, 12 May 1971, Page 6

Christchurch woman 100 years old today

Vivid memories of life during the South Island gold rushes —a life of hardship including living in a tent—were recalled yesterday by Mrs Jessie Field, who celebrates her one hundredth birthday in Christchurch today.

Born in Port Chalmers,! Mrs Field lived in Dunedin until her marriage at the age of 21 to Mrl Frederick Newstub.

Her husband was a builder and his trade was to later take him into the gold fields to work on dredges.

After her marriage. Mrs Field moved with her husband to Wellington, living in Brooklyn, and at Pahiatua. in Pahiatua—"it was just bush then"—she and Mr Newstub contracted typhoid fever from drinking infected well water. “We got a call from my brother-in-law after we had got over our illness. He was building gold dredges and wanted my husband to join him.” So Mrs Field went with her husband into the rugged gold country something which was unheard of for a woman of the times to do. They travelled from field to field and found accommodation ranging from a cosy cottage to a tent "The tents were not like tents >t all," said Mrs Field, “more like little Houses.” Built over a wooden frame, they were of tough materia), with wooden doors and floors. Covering the tent was another canvas, which ensured complete privacy and weather proofing. PRIMITIVE CONDITIONS Conditions, recalled Mrs Field, were at times very primitive. "At one time we were living in the Remarkables for what was supposed to be one month. However, it snowed there in January, "snow so deep you couldn't step outside the door.” Mrs Field was alone at the time, nursing a miner sick

.with rheumatic fever. "We had to get out somehow to .'get the man to a hospital, and the only way out was a horse and gig over the mountains."

Because of the heavy snow ■the road was blocked,’so the driver of the gig decided to make the journey over the top of the Remarkables. “On the way down the driver’s foot slipped off the brake and the horses sped pell mell down the mountain. We were sitting on bags of feed in the back of the gig throughout the journey. Despite that, we made it into Cromwell all right." Mrs Field also clearly recalled a trip by herself and her husband through the Crown Range to Arrowtown. “We had bicycles to travel on, but parts of the range were a bit steep for that. We walked most of the way.” After the initial gold boom and when his work was at an end, Mrs Field retired with her husband to Dunedin. However, he died shortly after their return, so Mrs Field went into business on her own account, running a confectionery store.

SMALL SHOP “It was only a small shop, but 1 noticed after a while that the big stores were opening confectionery windows.” She married again 11 yean after her husband’s death. Mrs Field’s second husband was a minister, and she travelled a lot with him in the course of his job. “We lived at Picton. Edendale. and were at Riverton at the time of the terrible plague, which we both caught.” For more than 40 years Mrs Field has lived in Christchurch. She is now at St Winifred’s Private Hospital in 11am Road.

Of her long life, she says this: “I have had more prob-

lems than most people have been asked to bear, but I never dwelt on them. I put my long life down to God’s doing.” Alert and with good hearing and eyesight. Mrs Field still takes an interest in the world around her. A birthday party will be held today at the home of a friend.