Fish and chips, gingernuts and copious cups of tea – that’s the secret to living to 104, according to one centenarian.
Betty Myfanway Bullock of Patterson Court in Dartford celebrated her 104th birthday this week.
Still living at home, having retired 46 years ago, Betty spends her days knitting, reading the paper and watching The Chase.
Originally born in Swansea, she lived there until her mother died when Betty was only six and then went to live with her aunt in Rhyl, Wales.
Betty, who is also a grandmother, has fond memories of her time there, most importantly because of the accessibility to fish and chips, her absolute favourite food.
The mum-of-two said: “I lived by the seaside, and we had a mile-long promenade with golden sand, and it was a nice, happy place to live.
“In Rhyl it was a penny for the chips and a piece of fish was two-pence, so it was three-pence altogether.
“That’s why I’ve lived so long – fish and chips,” she laughed.
Her daughter, Susan Luff, says Betty’s long and healthy life may have something to do with the fresh juices, smoothies and soups she makes to provide “an abundance of fruit and vegetables”.
However, Susan, 75, also knows Betty also enjoys a midnight snack, adding: “She has biscuits behind her bed and if she wakes up in the night, she’ll have one.”
That may be a naughty treat, but the 104-year-old has never drunk alcohol or smoked and used to cycle to work every night. It seems that by following a doctor’s advice, you can have a really long life.
Betty came to Kent during the Second World War, when she was stationed at Blue Bell Hill, between Chatham and Maidstone, as a volunteer for the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), tasked with a range of vital roles.
While with the ATS, she remembers being asked to be a marker for the women marching past Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and says the Queen Mother stopped in front of her and smiled with “beautiful blue eyes”.
Speaking of this time in her life, she said: “That was a very happy time. It was what you made of it, actually. Of course, I wasn’t very happy with the bombing.”
After the war, Betty decided to stay in the county and went on to be a night nurse at Joyce Green Hospital near Dartford in the ear, nose and throat department where she stayed for 30 years.
During this time, the family moved to Littlebrook Manor Way in Dartford in 1953 and became very close friends with the grandparents of Genene Copley.
Even after Betty moved to Patterson Court in Dartford, the friendship remained, and now Genene, who lives in Meopham, visits her frequently with her own daughter Carmenha.
Genene said: “I’m 50 and I don’t know life without Betty, she’s very dear to me.”
Fifteen-year-old Carmenha added: ‘It’s like a generational thing; my mum’s grown up with Betty and I’ve grown up with Betty.”
The flat where the 104-year-old lives has now been her home for the past 65 years. She celebrated her birthday, which was on November 26, there with friends and family.
Both Susan and Genene describe Betty as “strong-willed” but “a real lady”.
When asked her secret to a long life, Betty said: “Just be decent to everyone, that’s all.
“I’ve really quite enjoyed my life, I’ve been really lucky, haven’t I?”
