AN AUCKLAND CENTENARIAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3886, 4 September 1928, Page 79

AN AUCKLAND CENTENARIAN.

STILL HALE AND HEARTY. RECIPE FOR LONG LIFE. AUCKLAND, August 28. Mrs Eliza Ormiston will be 100 years of age on Thursday, and, despite her advanced age, her health is good. She spends a good deal of her time each day reading, and, while taking an interest in current events, has more pleasure in talking of many stirring happenings of her early days in New Zealand. Mrs Ormiston was born at Launceston, in Cornwall, England, and came to Auckland in the year 1861 in the ship Ida Zeigler with her husband, the late Mr William Ormiston. They took up farm life at Mangapai, near Whangarei. For many years Mr Ormiston was one of the best known and most highly respected settlers in the north, representing his district in the early Provincial Councils and also being a friend of Sir George Grey. His death, more than 40 years ago, was deeply regretted by pakeha and Maori alike. Left with a family of nine children, the youngest about' three years old, Mrs Ormiston carried on bravely with the assistance of her sons. After she had lived about 14 years at Mangapai, the property was 'sold, and Airs Ormiston came to Auckland, The recipe for long life and ripe old age is to eat brown bread. She was brought up on brown bread in her home in Cornwall, and when they came out to New Zealand Air Ormiston grew his own wheat and ground it in a little hand mill. For years they tasted no other kind of bread.