90th Birthday Is Celebrated by New Plymouth Woman

Taranaki Daily News, 22 March 1943, Page 4

90th Birthday Is Celebrated by New Plymouth Woman

Mrs. Elizabeth Adlam, \ ho has lived at and around New Plymouth for the past 78 years, was 90 years of age on Saturday. Born in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Mrs. Adlam arrived at New Plymouth at the age of 12 years. She worked for a period in the household of Sir Harry Atkir.scn, qne-time Prime Minister- of New -Zealand, when he owned the farm at H --worth to-day occupied by Mrs. Adlam's own grandchildren. In 1869, towards the close of the Maori Wars, she married Mr. G. A. Adlam. Mrs. Adlam and her husband worked under difficult conditions to build a home at Oakura, where Mr. Adlam was a well known farmer for 56 yeart before he xetired to live at New Plymouth. Mr. Adlam, who was a Maori War veteran and took part in the battle of Waireka, died 12 yeaJrs ago. Early Days Recalled. , Mrs. Adlam, who has retained all her faculties, vividly recalls the pioneer days of her marriage. The respect in which her husband was held by the Maoris once saved her frqm probable death. A war party broke into the house while she was alone, but on learning her husband's identity the Maoris left without harming her. Days of travelling when roads were mere bullock tracks and bridges did not exist are still fresh in her memory. "Many times I have had to kilt my skirts up and stand in a bullock cart or dray While the animals swam a river," she 6aid yesterday. A believer in the home as the centre of family life, Mrs. Adlam knows the whereabouts of all her children and almost all her descendants, and follows their activities with the keenest interest. Many of her grandsons are serving overseas, and Mrs. Adlam expressed the hope that she would see them all again at the end of the war. "I have seen four wars," she said, "and this is the worst of them all." Many Descendants. Of Mrs. Adlam's 14 children 11 are still living. One child died in infancy Her eldest daughter, Mrs. Percy George died about three years ago, and also on» son, Mr. Alfred Adlam. The others are Mr. E. Adlam (Waipuku), Mrs. A. Grif fin (Inaha), Mr. W. Adlam (Waitara), Mrs. H. Wells (Spotswood), Mrs. Arthur Adlam (Taihape), Mr. Fred Adlam (Inglewood), M'\ Val Adlam (Inaha), Mr Oswald Adlam (Whangarei), Mrs. Ber> West (Auroa), Mrs. P. Manning (Tariki * and Mr. Ron Adlam, headmaster of the Howick District High School (Auckland 1 Of the 73 grandchildren 67 are living Mr. O. George, New Plymouth, being the eldest. There are more than 120 greatgrandchildren. More than 50 of Mrs. Adlam's relatives gathered on Friday in the Kawaroa Park bungalow to celebrate the occasion. The birthday cake was cut by one of the grandchildren.