An Aberdeen woman is celebrating her 100th birthday today.
Marjory Bruce has spoken to the Press & Journal on her centenary, as Lord Provost David Cameron visited her at Loch Court retirement housing to celebrate the milestone.
Born on a farm in Balmedie in 1924, she said the secret to making it to 100 is to “work hard and be active”.
“I feel very well,” she said.
“I still do my own cleaning and cooking and go for two walks a day.”
A happy childhood and marriage
Mrs Bruce was brought up on a farm in Balmedie and helped her parents from a very young age.
She said: “It was a hard job, but I liked working at the farm, particularly with the horses, I used to love riding them.
“We were a very close family, I had a very happy childhood.”
A dancing lover, she met her husband George at a dance hall at the age of 19, just before WWII started.
She was called to work in Munitions at JM Henderson on King Street, while George was a gunner in Africa and Italy.
Mrs Bruce explained she liked her work during the war, particularly driving the crane, but said she missed George and worried about him while he was away fighting.
The couple married during the war and had four children together: Marjory, Hazel, George and Rosemary.
They had a happy marriage until George died 30 years ago.
“He was quite easy to get on with. I miss him a lot,” she said.
Dancing with King Charles
Mrs Bruce believes one of the keys to living many years is to work hard, something she did until she was 85.
After the war, she was a nurse for many years at Foresterhill and had many other jobs throughout her life.
After retiring, she was a volunteer at Aberdeen Sheriff Court for 25 years, until she was 85.
One of the jobs Mrs Bruce particularly enjoyed was working at Balmoral Castle, where she looked after the Queen Mother Private Secretary and cleaned the offices.
She revealed she had a few conversations with Queen Elizabeth II and said she was “very nice.”
However, her favourite part of the job was taking part in the Ghillies Ball, a dance organised by the Queen every year to which all staff members were invited.
“One year, I danced with King Charles, he gave me the first dance of the night; it was an honour,” she remembered.
‘Death in a family is the saddest thing’
Despite having “a good life,” Mrs Bruce has also faced several difficult moments over the years, including the death of many of her family members.
She explained: “I was very close to my dad, and I lost him when he was only 58.
“I also lost my husband George a long time ago and I miss him a lot.”
Youngest brother Charly is the last of her surviving siblings, after losing three brothers and three sisters.
She smiles when remembering her sister Edith, who died last year at the age of 104.
“She had a great sense of humour and was very honest and stubborn,” Mrs Bruce said.
But one of the hardest moments of her life was the death of her daughter Hazel, who died three years ago.
She said: “Death in a family is the saddest thing.
“It’s very hard losing people as you grow older, especially when they are younger, losing my daughter was very sad.”
‘No regrets’
Mrs Bruce told the P&J she has had a good life and has no regrets.
She said: “I’ve had a good life and I’ve been blessed with good health.
“I’ve been very lucky with the life I’ve had, I have absolutely nothing to grumble about.”
She believes the two most important things in life are “health and a good relationship with your family.”
When asked for the happiest moment of her life, she said: “Any time when we are all together having a conversation over a cup of tea.”
Mrs Bruce plans to celebrate at a meal out with her family.
“I’m going for a meal with George, Rosemary and Marjory as well as more relatives coming from all over the country,” she said.
“I’m very blessed.”
Conversation