Daisy is 100 years young

Born in 1910 Jane Steen McBride (nee Walker), better known as Daisy to family and friends, has celebrated a milestone on Sunday that few can boast - her 100th birthday.

The family got together on Sunday to wish Daisy well, and among the partygoers were several generations of the McBride and Walker families, in-laws and nieces and nepherws. A few surprises were planned, including a whistlestop visit by close family friend Mrs Claire Dignon, from Surrey, , who in her youth was particularly close to Daisy and Daisy's family. Claire's flight was so badly delayed that it became apparent she would miss the party, so it waws not possible to smuggle her in to the birthday celebration by Daisy's son-in-law, Walter Stephen. Instead Claire sen ther best wishes, and no doubt a visit will be on teh cards soon.

Although Daisy has had many, many visitors in the past week or two wishing her well, the weekend was particularly busy as those who know her all but queued up to extend their congratulations and best wishes.

Family and friends who gathered for Sunday's birthday bash included Daisy's daughter Margaret Stephen and her husband, Walter, who live in Edinburgh, the centenarian's son Professor Bill McBride, who lives in Los Angeles, her sister Lily McCrory, resident in Portrush, her niece Lyla Robinson, who travelled from Whitehead just outside Belfast.

Familiar faces

More familiar faces from Londonderry, George Walker and his wife Joanna, who are Daisy's brother and sister-in-law, were also in attendance, as was Daisy's nephew, Douglas Walker, and his wife Anne Walker, from Eglinton, Daisy's sister-in-law Iris Walker from Ardmore, her niece Marilyn Framrose, who travelled from Northumberland, and her nephew Jonty Walker from Enniskillen, and family friends Ian Dunsmuir, from Northumberland, and Isa Colquhoun, from Renfrewshire.

The celebrations began on January 31 when Daisy attended her usual Sunday morning service at Clooney Hall Methodist Church to find herself the centre of attention, with her favourite hymns sung, and Rev Sam McGuffin gave a powerpoint presentation along the lines of a 'This is Your Life' expos.

After the service the entire congregation moved downstairs for lunch to celebrate Daisy's approaching birthday, and before an audience of 60 people or more Daisy offered her thanks to them, the Minister and the church elders for their efforts on her behalf, the cake and the gift of flowers.

On Sunday Daisy received her 100th Birthday telegram from the Queen, and the Mayor of Londonderry arrived with birthday wishes before Daisy was whisked away in a limousine to the Waterfoot Hotel for lunch with her immediate family and guests.

On Monday Daisy was 'at home' welcoming a stream of well-wishers, neighbours and friends, with whom she shared her extensive memories.

Daisy, who is still possessed of an extremely active mind and spritely personality, eagerly tells visitors that she was the second of nine children born to James and Sarah-Jane Walker.

James Walker had a grocery business at the top of Chapel Brae in the Waterside, and he also farmed nearby, and 'Granny Walker' as she was known, is still remembered as a cheerful and generous figure who did good by others.

Indeed, Daisy was keen to point out that it was her mother that instilled in her, her drive to help people.

"She always used to say 'What are you going to do about it?'," Daisy said, going on to recount the tale of how she and a friend encountered two children in poor circumstances, and when she later told her mother she was asked what she had done about it. Her mother, she said, rustled up a hamper of food and Daisy was dispatched to find the children's mother and offer the alms.

Daisy was educated at Clooney School, which was at the top of Simpson's Brae, in the building which is now the Sikh Gwendwara (Temple), where her best friend was Sadie Henderson, who later emigrated to Canada.

Family business

After school Daisy worked in the family business, and showed great energy and financial acuteness, until she married Jack McBride in 1936, and the couple set up home where the nurses' home is now at Altnagelvin Hospital. Jack became a Civil Servant, working in turn in Customs and Excise, air traffic control and local authority auditing.

After spending part of their married life in Belfast, the couple meoved to London in 1939, in time to experience the Blitz. Next they moved to Liverpool, where, again, they experienced night raids, before moving to Prestwick before they settled permanently in Edinburgh.

After Jack's retirement the couple moved to Deanfield in the Waterside, and were pleased to find so many people around about them who remembered them, and they were also welcomed with open arms at Clooney Hall Methodist Church, where they both threw themselves into the activities of the church.

Jack was a keen gardener and provided the raw material for vast quantities of jam and marmalade-making; meanwhile, Daisy put her embroidery skills to great use and over a period of eight years earned over 12,000 for the church funds.

"I embroidered a lot and I made a lot of things. I also liked tapestry," she recalled.

Despire Jack's death in 2002 Daisy continues to take a lively interest in events and people around her. Her favourite phrase is "I've just been thinking...", which means that someone will be inveigled into doing good of some kind.

Daisy has two children: Margaret is a retired head teacher of a school near Edinburgh while Bill is in the spearhead of the fight against cancer, being the head of research in the David Gaffin Centre, University of California in Los Angeles.

So, to what does Daisy owe her longevity? She maintains it is good genes and to prove it, five out of the nine siblings lived to be over 85. She also believes a healthy lifestyle is important, and particularly a good diet, not consuming alcohol or smoking.

Daisy also believes an active approach to life is a key to staying young at heart, and she was known for running and not walking.

Daisy's many memories are jogged by the Sentinel's visit, and Daisy recounts how, in her younger day, she used to get free tickets to concerts from Derry Standard editor Alec Rankin.

Tickets

"He would say 'Did you get tickets?' and he used to get us tickets for concerts," she said, adding that when she returned 'home' after Jack's retirement, she encountered Alec again, but, with a glint of mischief added: "He didn't give me any more tickets though".

She confides conspiratorially that she knew Alec's cousin, and insists that it was she that asked for the tickets and not herself.

Despite her age, she has an active mind, and has always kept a diary and is an avid reader and collector of books, kept a keen interest in people and, thanks to her mother, she remains adamant about helping people.

Recalling her friend Betty Blair, whom she meets every Tuesday at the luncheon club in Clooney Hall, she confides that Betty and she often joke about skipping off to Bermuda, and perhaps she might use her birthday money to buy a couple of tickets. Betty better have her toothbrush packed.