A north-east woman who celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday has attributed her long life to a diet of traditional Scottish dishes such as mince and tatties.
Elspet Dyker, known as Elsie to her friends and family, was born in Longside but her husband’s police career took her to live in places all over Aberdeenshire.
Yesterday, the region’s newest centenarian celebrated her big day with a card from The Queen.
But she received an even more special surprise when her granddaughter, Elza McCartney, travelled over from Canada to make the most of the occasion with her.
Mrs Dyker was born Elspet Wilson on August 24 1917, as the daughter of a gamekeeper at Forbes Castle.
She spent her early years in Craigpot, by Alford, and took lessons at the nearby Keig School as a youngster.
After leaving education she took a job in an Alford grocery store, and helped keep troops well-fed at RAF Tain during World War II as part of the base’s catering service.
After settling back into the routine of civilian life following the end of the conflict in 1945, Mrs Dyker met the man she would marry at a dance.
She and husband Bill tied the knot in Keig in 1947, when she was 29 and he was 25.
Two years later, in the May of 1949, the couple’s only child arrived in the form of daughter Dale.
Mr Dyker’s career as a policeman took him to beats across the north-east.
The family spent years in Aberchirder, Elgin, Huntly, Peterhead and Forgue.
Mrs Dyker’s daughter, who now goes by the married name of Dale Main, said her varied upbringing was a happy one.
She explained that her mother was a doting housewife who took care of their home while Mr Dyker pursued his more action-packed line of work.
Mrs Main added: “Though it was a tough job, there were balls and functions which both of my parents attended and they made a lot of friends within the police force.
“They enjoyed their social life.”
The pair’s first grandchild, Billy, was born in 1970 followed by his sister Elza five years later.
After retiring from the force in 1977 following a stint as an inspector in Peterhead, Mr Dyker took up a role within the coastguard service and the couple moved to Aberdeen.
The “devoted grandparents” enjoyed spending more time with their grandchildren as they grew up.
And 45-year-old Elza McCartney showed her appreciated by jetting across the North Atlantic to wish Mrs Dyker a happy birthday in person yesterday.
Grandson Billy Dyker was unable to attend because his offshore job required him and his family, including Mrs Dyker’s great-granddaughters Rose, 11, and seven-year-old Poppy, to be in Ghana.
Also celebrating from afar were the centenarian’s great-grandchildren in Canada – 20-year-old Daniel and 14-year-old Eva.
Mr Dyker died at the age of 93 in 2014, and Mrs Dyker has stayed at the Cranford Nursing Home in Aberdeen since late 2013 – where she “likes tormenting the staff”.
Mrs Main added: “When we ask her the secret to her longevity, she tells us it is never having smoked or taken alcohol during her life, and sticking to a diet of traditional Scottish food like mince and tatties.”