HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1979-03-14, Page 1Lucknow's oldest resident is 103
She's "pure gold
Annie MacKenzie, Lucknow's oldest
resident, celebrated her 103rd birthday
•on Monday. Her room at Pinecrest is"
• filled with flowers and birthday mes-
sages taped to ribbons hang on the
walls about her .bed. She is . a very
popular lady. •
Her orchid corsage, was sent from
"her favourite florist". Many of: her '
friends who live in Toronto havesent
flowers on her birthday. The florist who
sends their flowers now sends his own
birthday flower for the lady with the
special. birthday.
The flowergirl at her wedding, Gladys
Thomson, • Vancouver • sent a ` pot of
spring tulips. More tulips came from
her close friends, Helen Ross, Toronto
who celebrated her, 100th birthday in
December.:
—Mrs. MacKenzie and her sister, Ethel.
drove to Milverton for. Helen's wedding
-mina horse and buggy. On theback of the
buggy was the trunk carrying the
dresses with leg-'o.mutton. sleeves they
would wear to the wedding. The two
sisters stayed a'week. At the time it was
quite an occasion for two young ladies to
take a trip of this. kind on their . own.
A great grand -niece, Ann Thorsteins-
son, Vancouver, who is 16, took the time
to make an original birthday card for
Mrs. MacKenzie. The card is decorated
with a pencil drawing by Ann. It's a
tribute to. Mrs. MacKenzie that,a teen-
ager would take the effort to create an
original card for her birthday.
One of the cards from an old friend
carries the greeting, "You are pure
gold".
Despite her age she has many, friends
who ask about her and continue to share
her happiness on her birthday.
Mrs: MacKenzie was .born on March
12, 1876,. the fifth child of a family of
nine. Her parents are the late Mr. and
Mrs. Alexander Paterson who lived on
the. second concession of Huron Town-
ship.
After attending Clover Valley School,.
Mrs. MacKenzie entered the School of
Nursing at Mountainside Hospital in
Montclari, New Jersey and graduated in
1908. ..
Her school.' of nursing recently
requested that the families of graduates
return their grad.uatepins as they are.
rare. Mrs. MacKenzie decided to return.
her pin before her death and a , nurse
who is working as a private duty nurse
at the Mountainside Hospital wrote to
Mrs. MacKenzie and asked if she might
wear her pin. Mrs. MacKenzie's pin is
being worn again by a nurse who is
working instead of laying in a drawer as
a memento.
In. 1910 Mrs. MacKenzie'. married the
late William MacKenzie of Lucknow.
She lived in the village until her
husband's death in 1941. Their family
included Katharine, twin sons, Thomas
and Alexander, another set of twins,
William and Frank and another son,
John.
Katharine is living in Thornhill.
Frank lives in Kinloss. Township and
John lives in Toronto.
Three of her children are deceased.
Mex died in Vancouver in 1961; William
of St.. Clair Shores died in 1963 and Tom
died in Walkerton in 1976.
A: stroke has left Mrs: MacKenzie
unable to. speak .but she is alert and
enjoysimmenselythe visits of family
•and'. friends,
Sil A Year In Advance 821.50 To Tr.S.A.'and Foreign.
: WEDNESDAY, MARC!! 14, 1979.
Single Copy 25c
•24 PAGES
Wingham and District Hospital is in the
process of preparing a presentat'on to the.
Ministry of Health.to show , the' need for
transferring some active treatment beds...
which are supposed to be closed' to chronic
care.,,
The hospital is •attempting to show the
number: of people who are long term patients'
and will round out their presentation with
information at a meeting of the executive
directorsofHuron`. and Perth Hospitals:
Huron=Bruce -MPP' Murray Gaunt asked
Health . Minister Dennis' Timbrell' in. the ...
-=legislature Thursday, March 8 about the
effects of the province's bed -population••.
formula on hospital budgets.
Huron and Bruce have a special problem•
adhereing to the. ministry, guideline because
• these counties havea: higher than average
proportion. of their population older than65.
The health ministry announced in January
that hospitals ;must abide, by a ratio of 3.5.
beds per 1,000 population by 11981' and. tied
• the hospital budgets to this standard.
Gaunt,,pointed out the government
promised in the speech from the throne on
March 6 to increasesignificantly the number,
of chronic care beds where needed.
Executive. director Norman ..Hayes of
Wingham and District Hospital told a public
meeting in Wingham,Febtary 21 one of the
alternatives to cope with the ministry
guideline would be to .persuade the ministry
to' transfer active treatment beds being used
for longterm patients to chronic care..
Hayes said at that time:. 34 beds were
. being used toriong term patients but only 18
of those beds were `classified" hronic 'care
Sv De. rb
Member :clubs of the Maitland Valley
Connell, a: divleonof ' the . Young
Calvinist Cadet Corps held** annual
Cadet Snow, Derby on the farm ,of Len
Bakelgar, Cuirass' On February 17.
Cadets took . part in a day of achvides
Including _a' toboggan ,race, .a water. ""'
boiling contest; obstacle scourse and,.:.
First -Md exercises. The Lncknow club
'which hosted the Derby won the
obstacle course. Members of the core
are shgwn--shmditting it rescue.
Story and pictures' are on page 4. ,
beds.
Mr. Hayes said 'Murray Gaunt'is well.
aware of what Wingham fiCes with the 'bed- .
cuts. Gaunt -has advised Wingham and other
local hospitralsto put together a presentation.
,for the ministry showingthe need to, transfer
active atreatment beds to chronic care.
Hayes. said Wingham=hospital:is working,
with Gaunt to lave Health Minister ,Dennis
Timbr1T come to Wingham to answer the
questions,'an'd demands of the, community
regarding . the. bed closures. Hayes said
Gaunt has informed hint Timbrell would not
be available. to . come to Wingham before
June 18..
Hayes said three months may demon=
strate,what is happening, because' the impact –
of.. the bed closures' won't be known until
after April 1 when . the hospital, _, starts •
operating on th'e.new budget .Fourteen beds
will close on•April 1 at the Wingham hospital
and the government has cut $160,000 from
the budget for this. year..
Hayes commented however, he is afraid to
see a meeting with Timbrell too far into the
year unless 'we 'realty begin'. to feel th
pinch" after the new budget comes :in,.
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