Beloved east Auckland resident Dorothy Brockett has celebrated her 100th birthday surrounded by her loved ones with a cake and a card from King Charles III.
Her son Paul Brockett has told the Times about his mum’s colourful life in the lead up to the big day.
She was born Dorothy Coulter in Wellington on April 25, 1925, and was one of four siblings.
She lived in the capitol until meeting her husband to be Owen Brockett through her brother Bill, both of whom were serving the Air Force at the time.
She married in 1949 and moved to Auckland that same year, initially living with her aunty in Titirangi before moving to the eastern suburbs in the early 1950s.
There she and Owen raised their two sons in their first home in Barrack Road, Mount Wellington.
In the early days of motherhood, she supplemented the family income with part-time work, which was unusual for the time, delivering bread rolls at 4am from a bakery in Glen Innes to various hotels in Auckland CBD.
Taking a keen interest in the local community, Dorothy took exception to Mount Wellington Borough Council at the time with its lack of progress and poor decision making, standing for the Council in 1972.
Noting a lack of women representation the community and inspired by her uncle, Dorothy became a Justice of the Peace in 1973, actively serving for 47 years.
Paul says his mum got her first and only speeding ticket at age 92 for doing 55km/h in a 50km/h zone and voluntarily gave up driving later the same year.
She’s lived in the Howick and Pakuranga area for more than 70 years in various family homes, eventually moving into a retirement village in Howick in 2023.
In recognition of her milestone 100th birthday, Dorothy received well wishes and cards from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro and Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown.
But her most treasured greeting came by way of a personally-signed birthday card from King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
She has two children, five grand-children, and seven great-grandchildren and shares her birthday with her grandson Matthew, making for an annual double celebration.
She acknowledges and appreciates she’s especially lucky to have all her immediate family living in east Auckland enjoying regular visits, outings and family celebrations.
Dorothy celebrated her birthday at her retirement village with 30 attendees comprised of family members and close friends.
