Ron Smith Care Centre resident turns 105

Finn Nash (great grandson), Kim Nash (granddaughter), Owen Nash (great grandson), Sylvian Robertson, Joan Kilfoil (daughter), Kait Nash (great granddaughter) and Ronan Nash (great grandson). Kait, Ronan and Owen are triplets.

Sylvian Robertson, who is a resident at Rand Aid-run Ron Smith Care Centre, has just celebrated her 105^th birthday!

She was born in Johannesburg on January 3, 1912 (the same year that the Titanic went down) and married her husband, John, at the Baptist Church in Troyeville.  They were married for 58 years.

She was mainly a stay-at-home mom and completely devoted to looking after their large family. She has three daughters and a son who all live in Johannesburg:  Sandra Carstens, Moira Clark, Joan Kilfoil and John Robertson; and a daughter, Patricia Stephens, who lives in Washington DC.  In addition, she has 17 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren. Even now, her face lights up whenever her grandchildren and great grandchildren come to visit – her family always have been, and are still, her whole life and she is deeply grateful to have them around.

Sylvian was well-known in the Bedfordview community, as she assisted her two daughters, Sandra and Joan, with their ballet school. She was known as the ‘ballet gran’.  She also loved to entertain and was always cooking and baking up a storm on her Esse coal stove. Christmas Lunch for 60 people wasn’t a problem!

When she was 92 years old, Sylvian travelled to the United States unaccompanied.  She refused wheelchair assistance, so somehow ended up at the wrong gate, but being the independent and resourceful person she was, managed to board the right plane and reach her destination.

The management and staff of Ron Smith Care Centre extend their very best wishes to this remarkable lady.