OLD AGE DEFIED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22909, 17 June 1936, Page 10

OLD AGE DEFIED

“MODERN GRANDMAS”

PLAYING GOOD GOLF AT 09. An American woman recently celebrated her ninetieth birthday by flying across the continent, a distance ,of 3000 miles, and by attending a dance given in her honour, at which she tripped the “light, fantastic toe ” as well as anyone present (states a London journal). , But Mrs Ann Stansali, of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, has gone one better than that. She made an aeroplane flight when she was 102. The machine was damaged in landing—but she didn’t worry. ‘ 1 thought the jerk wag part of the programme,'’ she said. She is still going strong. Only the other day, to mark her hundred and sixth birthday, she went to the pictures. Our old ladies are wonderful. They refuse to grow old in the sense of retiring to slippered ease and a shawl. Many of them to-day are as active as ever. Take the Countess of Oxford and Aaqnitn. Where would one hope to meet greater energy of mind, greater and more youthful enthusiasm? lII!FAKING-IN HORSES.

General Eva Booth, head of the Salvation Army, travels all over the world organising and speaking with the zest and verve of u woman half her age. Then there is Miss Mabel Durrant, well known in Devon as a breeder of horses. At 6a she still breaks in her own horses, and needs no groom to assist her into the saddle, She rides for three hours every day. . , _ . Every Christmas and .New Year we rend reports of the Serpentine iec being broken by hardy women in the seventies who have entered for various swimming events there. . The modern old lady is a virile person, charming, aide to hold her own, still able to enjoy many of the sports and pastimes of the younger generations. This is an age of speed, and even " grandma has fallen into line with the modern demand for pace. She lives GO seconds in every minute, and one cannot help but admire her MOTORING AND GOLF. Of course, one meets the familiar “mutton dressed up as lamb’’—this is inevitable—but older women are fitting into the shemo of speeding up and living at high pressure with amazing ease and 1,1 During the day. when the majority of ni'm are at business, women take over the wheel of the family car, and invade the golf courses and sports clubs. And grandma drives as well as the best ot them. Both in the car and on the links. Mr* Stewart Lorrimer, drove a colt bail 200 vnrds on the famous Glenagies course recently. And she is 09. She was playing a foursome with one daughter as partner against two other daughters. And she won! Perhaps one of the most original pres-ent-day grandmas is Mrs Mary Penfold, fl "ed 102. Bredenhiirst, Kent. She rises at 6 o’clock every morning and is busy all day sewing, making patchwork quilts ami dolls’ house furniture and writing poetry! This has always been her favourite occupation, and she is not going to give it up for anyone!