“I don’t know what the big deal is, age is just a number,” is what 90 year old Catherine Louw said when asked about how it feels to reach such an age today.
Catherine has been living in Roodepoort since 1952 after transferring from Bloemfontein.
The town holds special memories for her as this is where she met her husband Jakes and got married the year she arrived. She lived in Georginia with her husband, who was a miner, and three boys.
“The town has changed tremendously but I can’t exactly explain it in words. Things are different to how they once were but things are always changing and you just have to get used to it,” she said.
One of the big events Catherine remembers is the 1967 tornado that travelled through Dobsonville and Randfontein with a path length of 30 kilometres.
Catherine said there is no big secret to living a long life but to just be positive without carrying bitterness.
“You can’t live if you have negativity surrounding you, always be positive and accept whatever may come your way. However, at the end of the day it is up to the father in heaven and not me,” she said.
Catherine’s husband Jakes died in 2001 just four months after moving into their home in Florida.
She had some advice for the youth of South Africa and said they should stop being reckless and start taking care of themselves.
“They take advantage of everything and don’t want work hard for what they want. They can’t expect to get everything on a silver platter without being prepared to work for it,” she said.
Catherine said her wish was for the community of Roodepoort to be happy and live together amicably.
“I want peace, for people to work together no matter what race or cultural background we come from because we all have a right to live. We must accept each other and live harmoniously,” she said.
Catherine enjoys reading her library books and doing needle and housework even though she has a hip problem. She also admitted that she is not a big fan of technology especially cellphones.
“My nine- year- old granddaughter is always with a phone and she can already play around with it. For me it’s too complicated, if I can make and receive calls then I’m happy. I’m not interested in all the other things it does,” she said.
