By Lisa Ramsden
A very special celebration took place in Newcastle at the weekend in honour of one of the UK and Ireland’s eldest residents.
A fresh-faced and twinkly-eyed Kate Rutledge celebrated her 107th birthday, surrounded by some of those who mean the most to her. Born on 12 October 1918, just a month before an armistice was signed between the Germans and the Allies ending World War One, she has witnessed six British monarchs crowned, ten popes elected, lived through various global conflicts, and survived pandemics.
But what is 107-year-old Kate’s secret to a long and happy life? Apparently, it’s “a good gin and tonic!”
Her home was a hive of activity on Sunday—as it often is—with friends and family gathering to celebrate this remarkable lady and her remarkable birthday.
Born in north Belfast, Kate was the middle child of three in the Lowry household. Her life has been varied and astonishing, and she has plenty of tales to tell. She retired from the Slieve Donard Hotel at the age of 83, having taken up a post as a personal assistant to its then manager back in 1987—a job she says she still misses dearly.
As a child, she attended boarding school in Ballycastle, and for several years she and her family lived in America. Kate also recalls being “sent off to France” for two summers so she and her elder sister, Beatrice (fondly known as Jo-Jo), could perfect the language.
Jo-Jo passed away in 2018 at the age of 101, while their ‘baby sister’ Florrie was 98 when she passed later the same year.
Kate settled in Newcastle in the same year she took up the post at the Slieve Donard. But long before that, she had already established strong links to County Down. Her elder sister once ran a public house in Killough, which Kate and her late husband, Ernie, frequently visited.
A passionate golfer, Kate developed a love for the game while living in Ardglass, where she and Ernie set up home. There, she enjoyed playing the village’s famous links course and was appointed Lady Captain in the 1970s.
Her nephew, Peter Rutledge, described his aunt as “quite remarkable” and shared that she has been delighted to receive birthday cards from the Royal Family every year since turning 100, as well as the Centenarian Bounty from the President of Ireland.
To read the digital edition, download the Mourne Observer app – for apple click here – for android click here
