The Star: February 14, 2019

6 Thursday February 14 2019
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
The Star
News
Stadium ideas
will be set
out this week
• By Julia Evans
IDEAS FOR the design of the city’s
long-awaited stadium will be set
out at meetings held this week.
Potential users and interest
groups are meeting at stakeholder
forums to discuss the stadium’s
investment case, offer feedback
and ideas.
“Representatives of sporting
organisations, business, events and
entertainment and key community
groups have been involved throughout
the process,” city council
general manager citizens and community
Mary Richardson said.
The city council has been working
on the investment case for the
stadium planned for the block
bound by Madras, Barbadoes,
Hereford and Tuams Sts after it
was given the green light in April.
It brought forward $253 million
in the Long Term Plan to fund
the stadium and the Government
ear-marked an additional $220
million, on top of the $86.7 million
spent to purchase the land.
The investment case is based
on a $473 million covered
stadium with 25,000-seat capacity
and room for 5000 temporary
seats.
Jessie is Canty’s oldest woman
• By Sophie Cornish
JESSIE ALABONE is 39,258
days old today.
That makes her the oldest living
person in Canterbury.
To save you reaching for
the calculator, Mrs Alabone is
107-years-old and 175 days.
Previously, Howard Buss was
the oldest living person in Canterbury.
He died on January 25, aged
107 years and 214 days.
Born on August 22, 1911, Mrs
Alabone sits at number 58 on
Gerontology Wiki’s list of the
oldest New Zealanders to ever
live.
Only two other people on the
list older than Mrs Alabone are
still alive.
Lola de la Haye, born in November
1909, is 109-years-old
and lives in New Plymouth.
Mabel Jenkins is said to be living
in the Waikato at 110-yearsold,
but her age is yet to be
verified online.
Mrs Alabone has seven grandchildren,
15 great-grandchildren
and eight great-great-grandchildren.
She was the third oldest of 15
children of William and Mary
McDonald, who arrived from
AGEING GRACEFULLY: Jessie Alabone is Canterbury’s oldest
person at 107.
PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER
Victoria, Australia, in 1910.
Mr McDonald was a wellknown
saddler and their family
had a long association in the harness
racing industry.
Two of her youngest siblings
are still alive and her mother
died aged 102.
Mrs Alabone attended St
Joseph’s Cathedral School in
Papanui and completed high
school at Christchurch Technical
College.
“She loved school, she was a
great student, good at maths
and had a great memory. She
had attention to detail, played
the piano and liked the finer
things in life,” said Mrs Smaill.
Mrs Alabone began working in
a shoe shop at age 15. She worked
at Strange and Co, Farmers, and
Stewart Robinson’s shoe shop. She
eventually managed a retail store.
She met Percy ‘Bill’ Alabone
at Fraser’s dancing school and
in 1932, they married at St
Mathew’s Church, St Albans,
when she was 21.
The couple went on to have two
children, Diana and Billy.
Mrs Alabone enjoyed hobbies
such as embroidery, baking and
travelling, was a capable seamstress
and a passionate gardener.
Mrs Smaill said her grandmother
attributed her memory to
her lack of multi-tasking.
“She liked to focus on finishing
one job then starting another
as well as keeping everything in
moderation,” said Mrs Smaill.
Her motto in life was: ‘What
will be, will be.’
“She never, ever looked to the
past and she never looked to the
future. She lives in the here and
now,” said Mrs Smaill.
Mrs Alabone was still driving
when she was 100 and lived
independently until 102.
•Rest home campaigner’s
battle over bus, p8 & 9