Betty (Elizabeth) Punshon of McCarthy Stone Retirement Living Plus development Elderton Place in Whitley Bay, recently celebrated turning 100 years old with not one, but two parties over recent weeks.
Betty grew in Northern Ireland, leaving school at 15 to help on her family’s farm. On how she feels about turning 100, Betty is relaxed:
“It’s just another birthday. But I was looking forward to my message from the King!”
She left home to join the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) in 1942, “working on aircraft with brave pilots and having adventures”. She spent three and a half years in the WAAF, meeting her future husband, Frederick Punshon, who happened to be her manager at the time and was a longstanding member of the Royal Air Force.
Frederick and Betty married after the war in 1947. They travelled and lived in many places while he was in the RAF, including three years in Malaysia, their favourite posting.
With their three children – Christopher, Caroline and Maureen – Betty and Frederick eventually settled in Leconfield, Yorkshire. Frederick sadly died aged only 58, at which point Betty moved to Whitley Bay, near where Frederick grew up and where her one of her children lived.
These days, Betty enjoys a slower pace of life at Elderton Court, which she credits with having “no stairs, no garden and no DIY to do” and making life easier, especially with her “dodgy hips.”
Betty has lived at Elderton Court since 2022 and enjoyed one of her two celebrations in the development’s restaurant, joined by friends and neighbours, in addition to a birthday meal out with her family.
Paying tribute to her mum, Betty’s daughter Caroline Rawlings said:
“I admire mum immensely. She always sees the bright side of life and puts people before money. And she loves doing charity work for those less fortunate than she is – she was a poppy collector for 50 years.”
Betty now enjoys shopping, lunch with her daughter Caroline, attending occasional shows, and watching music on television, which along with the radio she rates as the most important invention of her lifetime, recalling that she “absolutely loved listening to the radio and watching my neighbour’s TV.”
On the secret to reaching this special milestone, Betty wisely advises:
“Keep moving and eat veg. I never had a car, so I was always walking as well as playing badminton and swimming until my mid-60s.”
And advice she would give to young people today?
“You don’t have to go to university to have a good life. And never give up! If you don’t succeed the first time, try again.”
For more information about Elderton Place, visit https://www.mccarthyandstone.co.uk/retirement-properties-for-sale/elderton-place-whitley-bay/
