John celebrated his birthday with generations of loved ones from all over with his real, and their virtual, high tea.
John and his wife June, who are both residents at Enliven’s Longview Home, celebrated the milestone birthday while the country was in Level 4 lockdown.
Staff at Longview Home got behind the celebrations by setting up a Zoom session so people from all around the world could mark the big day.
The dining room at Longview Home was festooned with a mix of international flags, Indian lamps and an enormous birthday banner which showcased the truly high-end afternoon tea.
Tea has always figured strongly in John’s life. As the son of Swiss missionaries he spent much of his life on a tea plantation high up in the hills of South India.
Later he learned the business of growing tea and became engaged to June, also the child of missionaries who hailed from the US.
When John was offered a position growing cardamom and coffee on a remote hillside estate he took on the tasks of supervising the planting, harvesting and planting of the crops. He also built access roads, appointed a doctor for the workers and built a small church.
“We walked everywhere,” says eldest daughter Ariadne Fountain. “The family feel the incredibly good health both John and June have had throughout their lives is due to years living at high altitude and walking up and down hills!”
John and June moved to New Zealand in 1986 after farming in Kaitaia, retired to Auckland and then moved to Tawa, Wellington to be close to Ariadne and in turn June who moved into fulltime care in 2013. John joined June at Longview Home a few months ago.
Ariadne says the family was grateful for the effort put in by staff at Longview Home to mark John’s 100th birthday.
“We have to thank everyone at Longview Home from the bottom of our hearts,” she says. “The recreation staff, the chef and all the residents. Dad has had birthday messages from all over the world. We’re so glad he could celebrate this milestone.”
Enliven’s Longview Home on Sunrise Boulevard, Tawa offers rest home, hospital, respite and health recovery care. To learn more, visit www.enlivencentral.org.nz or call 04 232 6842.
