Kitty Venn celebrates milestone birthday

The elegant Kitty Venn turns 100 years old!


Ron Smith Care Centre resident Kitty Venn turned 100 years old on April 5, 2017.

Some of the Rand Aid-run care centre staff and residents gathered to sing happy birthday and present her with a special card, flowers and birthday cake. Also present were her daughter and son in-law, Carol and Paul Cunningham, and her son and daughter in-law, Charles and Mitzi Venn from Brisbane, Australia.

Kitty was born Doreen Ruby Mole in 1917 in Swakopmund, South West Africa. She was the fourth child in a family of 12 children. Three of her siblings are still living.

Her father, Alfred Mole, was a magistrate who moved his family to Hamilton Street, Pretoria, where Kitty grew up. As there was a tennis court at their home, she was a good tennis player and only gave up playing tennis just before she turned 80.

After completing her schooling at Pretoria Girls High, Kitty worked for Barclays Bank as a secretary.

After the war she married Oliver Claude Venn, a quantity surveyor who was a pilot during the war, and they moved to Sandringham, which was a suburb developed for ex-servicemen.

She and Oliver had four children, 18 grandchildren and 27 great grandchildren, most of who gathered for a huge birthday celebration on April 8.

Family members flew in from KwaZulu-Natal and from around the world – San Francisco, Sydney, Melbourne, Townsville and Australia – to honour Kitty on reaching this special milestone.  About 140 people attended the party, including some of Kitty’s friends from Elphin Lodge retirement village and the Ron Smith Care Centre.

Daughter Carol commented: “Kitty has always been a very positive person; she never complains and thinks that everyone and everything at the care centre is just wonderful. Everyone loves my mother!”

“It is true that everyone loves Kitty. Since she moved into Elphin Lodge many years ago, we experienced her as a very positive person with a ready smile for everyone,” says Zabeth Zühlsdorff, Rand Aid’s GM: Services and Advance Division.

Kitty moved to Elphin Lodge in 2000 after her husband died. Her cottage was delightful and she had an amazing ‘spring garden’ including huge flowering azaleas. She lived there until two years ago, when a fall and subsequent hip replacement necessitated her move to the care centre.

Lovely Kitty surrounded by some of her family, from left to right: daughter and son in-law Carol and Paul Cunningham; and son and daughter in-law Charles and Mitzi Venn from Brisbane, Australia.

Penned by Kitty’s daughter Carol:

Kitty Venn celebrated her 100th birthday with a birthday luncheon at Elphin Lodge
Main Hall with 140 of her family and friends (mostly family).

All four of her children, 14 of her 18 grandchildren and 18 of her 27 great grandchildren came from far and wide to celebrate her unique achievement with her.

They came from London, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville,
Australia, San Fransisco, Gauteng, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumpalanga and Johannesburg.

She was presented with a cricket bat with all the names of her children, grandchildren and great grand children from her grandsons Stuart and Trevor Cunningham. It reads: KITTY 100 NOT OUT!

Kitty was the fourth of 12 children born to Alice and Alfred Mole, hence the wonderful turn out at her 100th luncheon. She has only two remaining siblings alive, Merle Price from Elphin Lodge and her youngest brother Alan Mole who lives in England. Also her sister-in-law Benita Mole lives at Elphin Lodge and a sister-in-law Olga Mole from Pretoria.

Kitty has always been a kind and loving person who always says, “If you haven't got anything nice to say ..DON'T SAY IT.” She never complains and although her eyes and hearing are failing, her mind and brain are amazing. She puts her longevity down to happiness, eating everything in moderation, excerise (she played tennis well into her 80s) playing bridge and being blessed by having such a loving family.

She also is so appreciative of all the wonderful staff at Elphin Lodge and says she lives in the best retirement village in South Africa. 

Kitty surrounded by her grand- and great grandchildren.

Kitty with her cricket Bat ‘100 not out’ given to her by her grandsons Stuart and Trevor Cunningham with the names of all her children, grand- and great grandchildren.