Hartenbos woman turns 105

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HARTENBOS NEWS - A Hartenbos woman, Nellie Polley, turns 105 years old tomorrow.

She celebrated her birthday today, Saturday, 25 January, at the seniors' home where she lives, Hartenbos Versorgingsoord.

When asked what the secret of her longevity is, she replies immediately, without having to think: "Liefde vir die Here." (Love for the Lord.)

Family members, her friends and staff of the seniors' home enjoyed her birthday party with her today.

See more pictures here: Hartenbos woman celebrates 105th birthday

Mossel Bay mayor Dirk Kotzé also attended.

The hall was decorated with hydrangea flowers in shades of pink and lilac and hydrangea leaves.

A special cake, with pink and white flowers and green leaves, made from icing sugar, had pride of place in front of Nellie.

Even the mayor's shirt matched the colour scheme perfectly. He told Mossel Bay Advertiser he had not planned this.

There was a touching moment when Nellie's granddaughter, Melanie Smit, said a prayer for her. A beam of sunlight fell on Melanie's shoulder and her hands, which were clasped together as she prayed. (See the last photograph at the end of this article.)

Besides Nellie's love for the Lord, there are a few factors which her daughter, Thelma Smit, says could have contributed to her reaching such a good age.

See a video of Nellie and Thelma below:

Nellie says: "I don't take pills." She avoids supplements and has no health problems, so does not have to be on any medication. She hardly ever gets sick, not even a common cold.

Also, Nellie keeps her hands busy, knitting squares, to be sewn into blankets to donate to the needy. "I pray while I knit," she says.

Nellie and her husband, who passed away in 1991 at the age of 78, farmed near Kimberley.

Thelma says: "When you farm, you eat healthily." She points out that her parents ate healthy meat from the veld, that had "not been doctored with anything".

She says: "They had fruit trees and vegetables, which weren't sprayed with insecticide.

"All those years, they ate healthily."

Thelma notes: "Everyone complained about the brackish water on the farm, because the tea tasted different, but brackish water has lots of calcium."

She believes this benefited Nellie's bone health.

"Also, my mom never had a sweet tooth. Now she's really making up for it, but I tell her, at the age of 105, she can eat what she wants," Thelma says with a laugh.

Nellie finds it hard to remember the names of new people she meets. That is her only sign of forgetfulness. She keeps her brain active by doing crossword puzzles.

Thelma says: "Just the other day, she said she thinks she needs new glasses, so I will make an optometrist appointment for her."

Nellie came to Mossel Bay from Kimberley in 2006 and first lived with Thelma in Dana Bay for three-and-a-half years, before moving to the seniors' home.

Besides Thelma, Nellie has a son, Ken, in Durbanville and another daughter, Norma, in Langebaan. Nellie's oldest son is deceased. His family lives in Johannesburg and the rest of the extended family lives in the Western Cape. Thelma, Ken and Norma and other family members were at her birthday party today.

Nellie has 11 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren and two great, great grandchildren.Nellie Polley (front) and (from left) Hartenbos Versorgingsoord manager Engela Jacobs, Nellie's daughter Thelma Smit, Hartenbos Versorgingsoord nursing sister Ebenya Maritz, Nellie's son Ken Polley and her other daughter, Norma Seyfferdt. At the back is Mossel Bay mayor Dirk Kotzé.