Last Saturday, Elizabeth Mona Raby’s relatives and friends, along with the staff of the Ladies Christian Home in Gardens where she is a resident, celebrated her 100th birthday.
Ms Raby worked at the home for 30 years and retired in 2010. She was admitted as a patient in 2020, overcoming bowel cancer and avoiding Covid-19 during that time.
Her two sons, her daughter Lindsay Long (the home’s manager), and some of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren were present as a slide-show described the significant events of her 100 years on this planet.
Ms Long says that her mother recalls how her youngest son, Jonathan, played with a live electrical wire and survived the shock. She also remembers stepping in the path of a charging ram when it sped towards Jonathan, who described his mother as a selfless, loving person.
Despite her fond memories of raising her three children, Ms Raby considers the 1980s to be the best decade of her life because that is when her six grandchildren arrived. She also has seven great-grandchildren.
In 1995, for her selfless duty at the Ladies Christian Home, Ms Raby was recognised for her efforts from the Rotary Club of Cape Town.
Her work ethic is based on the mantras that she lives by: never put off until tomorrow what you can do today and always put others first.