She worked at the aged care complex as a permanent live in volunteer since it was established in 1979, retiring on Friday.
Her mission started when she returned home from working as a nanny at the age of 19, to help her mother who was on bed rest pregnant with her eighth and last child.
This led to housekeeping for other families once her younger sibling was born and then onto nursing training at Timaru Hospital, and then midwifery training in Auckland.
“We were treated like kids and had to ask permission to be home later than 10pm . . . and our uniforms were washed for us in the laundry,” she said of the Timaru nursing home.