Drumaness lady’s telegram from Her Majesty

7 August 2013

DRUMANESS woman Sarah Matthewson celebrated her 100th birthday on Monday. A resident at the Spa Nursing Home, Sarah received a telegram from the Queen — just 13 years her junior — congratulating the centenarian on reaching her magnificent milestone.

Sarah enjoyed a party with family and friends and puts her long life down to good food, fresh air, lots of exercise and her strong Christian faith. She never smoked or drank alcohol and is looking forward to celebrating her 101st birthday next August.

Born near Govan in Scotland, famous for its once proud ship building industry, Sarah later moved to Blackburn Street in Glasgow with her parents Bob and Agnes McBurney, along with her three sisters and three brothers.

She lived in an extremely happy home and the young Sarah trained as a florist and spent many years working in this profession, with her first job in Bainbridge’s Florists in her home city.

Indeed, Sarah’s skills for flower arranging never left her and her attention to detail often saw her rearrange family floral displays and up until a few years ago. her gifted hands were used to make Christmas wreaths.

Although resident in Scotland in her younger days, she was familiar with Northern Ireland as it was a place her family came to visit to see relatives.

Drumaness was a village Sarah became extremely familiar with and while visiting aunts who lived at a cottages at the Drumaness Road in 1938, she fell in love with her future husband Sammy who worked in the village mill.

Sammy, who sadly passed away 27 years ago, lived at Cumber Bridge and in 1939 the couple were engaged on Sarah’s birthday. On July 9 the following year, the couple were married in Ballynahinch Congregational Church and had three children, Jim (deceased), Robert and Mary.

Today, Sarah has four grandchildren, eight great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren.

After her marriage, Sarah lived at a mill house at Cumber Terrace in Drumaness and has lived around the village she now calls “home” for over seven decades.

The centenarian also worked for a time at the Albion factory in Ballynahinch and served dinners to schoolchildren at Drumaness Primary School.

Now a resident at the nursing home in Spa, Sarah remains as sharp as a tack and when driving in the car with her daughter Mary, the centenarian can recall exactly who lived in what house on the road between Drumaness to Ballynahinch.

Despite spending the majority of her life in Drumaness, Sarah never lost her Scottish brogue and while proud of her roots, she is regarded by the people of the village as one of their own.

Sarah was someone who always helped others and often cycled into Ballynahinch to collect preions. That was the kind of person she was.

“I always helped my neighbours and I was fortunate to have a lovely time with my husband. We made sure our family always got what they needed and we were all very happy,” she said.

“I was always a bit of talker and got on well with everyone, especially my neighbours. I have never lost my accent and it’s great to see all the fuss being made of me, with people taking notice of who I am,” joked Sarah.

“My parents came from the Dromara area and while I was born in Glasgow we always came back here at holiday time and during one of the trips I met Sammy and we ended up getting married.”

Sarah, who suffered a heart attack several months ago, made an amazing recovery and believes this was because she was “someone who was always on the go,” walking or cycling everywhere she needed to go.

The centenarian has no doubt that her healthy lifestyle, good old fashioned home cooking and abstention from cigarettes and alcohol have helped keep her young.

Sarah’s children Robert and Mary said there mother was a friend to many and was well known and highly regarded for always helping others. They said she was someone who could not have done more for their family.

“Our parents brought us up in a loving home and we are delighted that our mum has reached her 100th birthday. It is a fabulous achievement and testament to her lifestyle and strong religious faith,” they said.

“We have a loving mother who could do not enough for us or her many neighbours. That’s the kind of person she was. Our mother was so kind and generous with her time. Helping her neighbours and friends was never too much trouble. She always looked after her health and look at her today.”

Robert and Mary say they are grateful to everyone who was kind and who befriended their mother over the years, also paying tribute to the staff at Spa Nursing Home for looking after her.

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