A DONAGHADEE woman marked her 100th birthday milestone on Monday.
Annie McDowell, who is a resident at Copeland Fold in the seaside town, was joined by her family and fellow residents to celebrate her special day.
Born Annie McClure at 22 Donaghadee Road, Bangor, she is the eldest daughter of Louise and John McClure who came from North Down farming families. They then moved to Ballygrainey at Six Road Ends where her younger sister Mary was born in 1930, and she attended school in Cottown where she said she has ‘great memories’ of.
Having grown up very studious and a prolific reader, Annie went on to work for the Civil Service on Ormeau Avenue, Belfast, on the Ordnance Survey unit.
She met her husband, Robert McDowell, a Glasgow native and Merchant Navy Sea Captain, while on a trip to the Isle of Man shortly after the war.
“I met him on holiday in Douglas, Isle of Man. I went with a dear friend Theresa, and he’d just come back from a trip to India. I remember exactly what he said, ‘would you like to go for a dander?’,” said Annie.
When Robert and Annie married in 1952, they moved to Clarkston, Glasgow, where they had a daughter named Mary in 1954. They stayed in Scotland until 1961 when they emigrated to New Zealand and lived there for 18 years before retiring back to Scotland where they lived in Ayr, Dunoon and Argyllshire.
They then returned to Bangor and settled in Donaghadee.
While living in New Zealand, Annie said she has fond memories of being part of a women’s division group where they organised family events in local villages.
Her other hobbies included flower arranging, gardening, knitting and being a keen Scottish country dancer, which she started in Scotland and continued when she moved back to Bangor.
Annie said she aspires to be like her great-aunt, who lived until she was 103 years-old.
Mary Bilyeu, Annie’s daughter, said of her mother turning 100 years-old: “It’s amazing, I’m not surprised that she’s made it, I think she’ll probably go on to be 200 – no matter what happens she keeps going.”
Commenting on her milestone birthday, Annie said: “I don’t think it has sunk in yet, but it’s lovely having my daughter here to share it.”
When asked what words of wisdom she would impart to the younger generation, Annie shared one key piece of advice: “You must never lose your sense of humour.”
