Spotlight
feature:
Jean
Holmes
Carleton Place, Ontario
Carleton Place lady
celebrates 106 years young
By Desmond
Devoy
Reprinted
with permission from the Carleton Place/Almonte
Canadian-Gazette, Ottawa region, ON
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Jean
Holmes
(Photo by Sam Cooley, Canadian-Gazette photographer.)
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If
you want to live to the age of 106, just remember that tomorrow
will take care of itself.
~ Jean Holmes
Editors
Note:
The Spotlight in this issueJean Holmesgrew
up in Manitoba, but now lives in Carleton Place, Ontario,
on the west side of Ottawa. You may recall that Senior Scope
featured Jeans youngest brother, Harold Casselman of
Winnipeg, in the January, 2010 issue. Harold is a 60-year
member of the Barbershop Harmony Society and is active with
the Winnipeg Golden Chordsmen Chorus. He also sings baritone
with the Generations of Sound quartet.
CARLETON PLACE
-
Thats
the advice of 106-year-old Jean Holmes, who celebrated her
birthday on Oct. 20. Holmes celebrated her big day with a
luncheon with her fellow residents at Elizabeth Court in Carleton
Place on Tuesday, Oct. 19.
I
tell them that I dont worry about the future and I dont
smoke, said Holmes during an interview at her home.
The
only time I saw her with a cigarette was (when she) was lighting
them up for dad when he was driving, said Holmes
daughter Jan Ferguson. Were trying to teach her
how to drink, Ferguson added with a laugh.
Holmes
admits that she never thought she would live to be this old
when she was a child.
Even
when I got big, she adds, she never thought she would
see the century.
Even though
she is glad her mother has had such a long life, Ferguson
will be keeping her mothers celebrations low-key this
year.
She
thinks people are tired of buying her birthday cards,
joked Ferguson. It will be a low-key affair compared to her
earlier centennial birthdays. When Holmes turned 100, her
family took her on an Alaskan cruise, where she was dubbed
Queen Jean. Ferguson said that she has decided
to keep the big parties to a minimum of once every five years
for her mother, so the next big soiree will be when she turns
110.
Holmes
life has changed a lot since she was born in 1904.
I
grew up on a farm and theres always something to do,
she said of her early life in rural Manitoba, the second oldest
of 11 children.
Holmes
was born the year after the Wright brothers took to the air
with the worlds first powered flight in December 1903,
and the miracle of flight was still a sight to behold during
her childhood.
Well,
airplanes were one thing. If you heard something going overhead,
you all ran outside to see it, Holmes said.
She was
only 10 years old when Canada joined other nations in what
was then known as the Great War.
I
can remember quite well, she said of a young man from
her village who went off to the Western Front to fight. We
had a young Englishman who went to that war. He came back
safely.
Years
later, when war again broke out, she was married and had children
to tend to.
I
remember World War I better than the Second World War,
she admitted, though she recalled that three young men from
her village did go to fight.
I
know one of them didnt come back, she said.
Holmes
married in 1927 in Saskatchewan, and still wears her gold
wedding ring.
Its
seen a lot of dishwashers, she jokes.
Holmes
did not learn how to drive until the 1970s, but she has certainly
made up for lost distance since then, travelling with her
family to Germany, Scotland, and the United States.
My
parents never thought of having a holiday, Holmes recalled.
She returned to Manitoba for her 104th birthday, where she
met many of her family.
Longevity
seems to run in the family. Her sisters Aileen is 101, Jemima
will be 100 in January and Eleanor will be 90 in November.
Her brother Harold is the baby of the family at age 88.
Even at
her age, Holmes is still mentally sharp and involved. When
Holmes was born, women in Canada still could not vote. Now,
at age 106, she had cast her ballot at an advance poll in
last months municipal elections.
Even though
her father sat on the local school board, we never talked
election, at her home growing up, but she is certainly
glad that women can now vote.
She still
enjoys knitting and crocheting and baking pies and cookies
for her family. She also stays healthy just by walking
around in here. I try to eat properly and get exercise.
(Read
more in the Nov
9 -Nov 29/2010 issue of Senior Scope)
Fraud
Prevention:
Online
Blackmail Scams
Everyday
Canadians share personal information on the internet with
people theyve met through virtual contact. While many
of these relationships are harmless, the Canadian Anti-Fraud
Call Centre is seeing a rise in online blackmail scams directly
related to online sharing of information.
Blackmail
scams involve victims receiving demands for money from virtual
contacts that they have revealed personal information to over
the Internet. The scammers will threaten to have embarrassing
or damaging information, including personal details and images
posted online unless they pay the fees requested.
When developing
new relationships through instant messaging, social networking
sites, and videoconferencing sites, you need to be aware that
the personal information shared may be used against you. The
question then becomes do you really know who youre dealing
with and how much of your personal information is necessary
for the relationship. Openly posting personal information
on the Internet is synonymous to advertising the same details
on a billboard in your community. Simply put, if you wouldnt
advertise yourself publicly on the street then why do it online.
If youve
become a victim of online blackmail you can report to the
Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre (Phonebusters) at 1-888-495-8501.
Cst.
Ben Doiron
Winnipeg RCMP
Commercial Crime Section
(Read
more in the Nov
9 -Nov 29/2010 issue of Senior Scope)
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