Celebrating 90 Years Around the Sun in Style

Published on April 17, 2023

Shirley Roper has something not a lot of us can boast – 90 years’ experience living on planet Earth. She was recently presented with a card from Mayor Bernie Wanden to congratulate her on her special milestone and shared with us her secrets for being so full of life at 90 years of age.

A positive mind set, laughter and doing good things for others are three key things Shirley says everyone needs to live a good life. She has knitted more than 250 jumpers for ‘Operation Cover Up’, a Mission without Borders initiative which distributes warm clothing to people living in poverty in Eastern Europe, and more recently, has knitted clothing for children in the Ukraine.

“When you do good things for others, it comes back to you”.

For her 90th birthday, Shirley received a special gift herself in the form of a card from the Mayor.

Congratulatory messages are sent by His Worship the Mayor and Councillors for couples celebrating their 50th (Golden) or 60th (Diamond) wedding anniversary, or for an individual celebrating their 90th or 100th birthday. This is in addition to a congratulatory message from the Visits and Ceremonial Office of the Department of Internal Affairs.

Mayor Bernie Wanden says, “On behalf of myself and our Councillors, I am proud to offer this service to add to the excitement of these special days. It is an honour to acknowledge these special milestones and people in our community. We know they are significant events in the lives of our community members and we want to ensure our best wishes are appropriately conveyed.”

Shirley says receiving the message was a “thrill” and looks forward to receiving another one in ten years’ time. 

She jokes that her genes are also instrumental in reaching her 90th birthday – she has traced her ancestry back to the Vikings, and also has Irish roots. “I’ve just got that fighting spirit!” With a home full of dolls, teddy bears and other items usually associated with children, Shirley loves to connect with children around her. She gave birth to four biological children, raised others and cared for more than 250 during her time living in Australia.

An affordable and larger home to display her large collection of toys brought her to the Horowhenua thirteen years ago, but it’s the friendliness of the people which has kept her here.

Shirley Roper presented with a card from Mayor Bernie to congratulate her milestone of turning 90 years old.

If you know someone celebrating a key milestone, please visit Congratulatory Message Service page and fill out a simple online form so that they can be acknowledged too. We ask that you allow five days for your request to be processed.