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Te Aroha News
2 December 2009
Centenarian going strong in Te Aroha
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100 years strong: Gordon Body at his surprise birthday party.
Photo: PIAKO POST |
A remarkable Te Aroha resident turned 100 last Friday and turned up for work. Gordon Body was given a surprise birthday party by his colleagues and friends at the Salvation Army Family Store.
“I wasn’t expecting them to do that,” said Mr Body, who was picked up for work from Kenwyn Home, where he now lives, in a 1930 Model A Ford Roadster.
Mr Body works at the store two days a week and said he likes this job because it keeps him active. “It makes Gordon very disappointed if he can’t come to work,” said store manager Helen Crump.
Mr Body has lived in Te Aroha for most of his life and has contributed much to the community. This included donating $25,000 to Te Aroha and District Museum he collected through single-handedly recycling paper from the community. Mr Body, whose favourite papers are the Piako Post and New Zealand Herald, worked voluntarily at least 20 hours a week for 15 years bundling papers he collected from around town at his shed by Te Aroha Tennis Club. He stopped at 95 when he had an accident, reversing his car into a drain after loading a truck with 11 tonnes of paper to recycle.
Mr Body was born in Stratford and moved to Piako when he was 18 months old with his parents and brother Stan, who lived to 105. They brought 22 cows, a horse and a dog to their new farm in Manawaru.
Mr Body spent his primary years at Manawaru School then studied at King’s College in Remuera. Fresh out of college at the age of 17, he worked for the Bank of Australasia, now ANZ, as a ledger keeper and teller.
He was secretary and treasurer of the Te Aroha sub-branch of Federated Farmers for 30 years is a life member. Gathering farmers together and forming a community for them were his visions as a secretary, he said.
Mr Body was a founding member of Te Aroha Youth Hostel Association and secretary of Te Aroha Information Centre. “He was very accommodating to visitors when he worked for the information centre. He would welcome visitors to stay at his house,” niece Bev Schell said.
In 1990, Mr Body was awarded the Queen’s Commemoration Medal in recognition of his services to New Zealand during World War 2. He fought in Italy but had to come home after five months because his wife Ngaio had an accident. Mrs Body died 20 years ago and although they did not have children, Mr Body is happy with the company of his nephew and three nieces.
His secret to long life is to keep active and “be happy and content with your life”.
Story by William Liando
Piako Post |
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