Burpham Centenarian Celebrates With A Sing-song

Published on: 12 Nov, 2016
Updated on: 12 Nov, 2016

Centenarian Doris Oliver celebrates with her daughter (and Dragon reader) Christine and local councillor Christian Holliday.

Burpham resident, Doris Oliver turned 100 this week.

Family and friends from around the country gathered at the Grantley Arms in Wonersh, yesterday afternoon (November 11), to celebrate and see the well earned traditional message sent from the Queen in the form of a birthday card.

Doris was the youngest of 15 children and has lived in Burpham for 50 years.

Her son Derek, who recently passed away in his 70s, was a key member of the Burpham Neighbourhood Forum.

During the war Doris worked at a telephone exchange in London, meeting Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) on a morale-boosting tour.

Earlier in life Doris was a strong swimmer, winning swimming races down the Thames.

“Make a wish!” Doris seems to have plenty of puff to blow out her birthday cake candles.

Having always enjoyed singing and amateur dramatics earlier in life, the blowing out of candles was followed by a good old fashioned sing-song of war-time classics.

The first centenarian telegrams was sent in 1917 during the reign of the Queen’s grandfather George V. Telegrams were scrapped by the Post Office in 1982, when the more modern telemessages took their place. These, in turn, were replaced replaced with cards featuring a smiling photograph of Her Majesty, a personal message and a gold tassle. They are also sent to couples celebrating 60 years of marriage.

The Queen sends cards to centenarians on their 100th and 105th birthdays and each year thereafter. With people living longer, our chances of receiving a royal birthday card are improving.

In fact, so many of us are opening cards these days that the queen hired extra staff. In 2014 some 53,000 birthday and anniversary cards sent through the Royal Mail, more than any previous year and twice as many cards as were posted by the Queen 10 years ago.

Centenarians in the UK are automatically added to the list by the state pension office.

Cards can also be arranged  for citizens of: Canada, Australia, New Zealand or one of UK’s 26 overseas territories.

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