NEARING CENTURY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21964, 7 March 1946, Page 8

NEARING CENTURY

TE ARARGA RESIDENT A VARIED LIFE A well-respected resident of the East Coast for the past 33 years, Mr. W. Me Lean, was the guest of honour at a small gathering held recently at the home of Mr. D. J. McNaught, Te Araroa, to celebrate his ninety-sixth birthday. Four years short of the century, Mr. McLean is a fairly notable figure among Coast residents, having retained good health and his general faculties in a remarkable degree. He stands 6ft. in height, and is almost as straight as at 50 years of age. Still fairly active, he believes in steady work as a health measure, and in the last year has done a certain amount of fencing, as well as gardening and wood-chopping. Born in Greenock, Scotland, on March 3, 1850, Mr. McLean went to sea at the age of 14 years, and visited many parts of the world. He willingly met the perils of the deep, but decided to change his career when a ship in which he was serving turned turtle in Sydney Harbour after loading a cargo of wool for the United Kingdom. He returned to Britain, and then decided to try his luck in the colonies, and on arrival in Australia again he.took up shearing. For many years he travelled between Australia and New Zealand as a member of a shearing gang, and 40 years ago he came to the Gisborne district and found employment for a time with the Gisborne Borough Council. Later he managed sheep-stations, and continued in this work until his ninetieth year. For the last five years he has been living at Te Araroa. His ninety-sixth birthday party was attended by Major R;Prowse, of the Salvation Army, and Mrs. Prowse. During the proceedings, Mr. McLean remarked that it was quite a contract to light the 96 candles that decorated his birthday cake—the first he had ever had made for him. Major Prowse spoke a few appropriate words, and Mrs. Prowse closed the celebration with prayer.