110-year-old New Westminster woman shares her secrets for longevity

Marguerite Robertson may look like an 80-year-old whippersnapper, but she is celebrating her 110th birthday on Saturday.

So what’s her secret to longevity?

“I’ve always had a good appetite and I’ve never had to be coaxed to eat,” she said with a laugh.

Of course, she doesn’t just have an appetite for food.

“I like gin and tonic … and I like wine with my meal.”

When Robertson was born in Lunenburg, N.S., in 1907, Wilfred Laurier was prime minister and Theodore Roosevelt was president of the United States.

Her father raced on the Bluenose, the famous schooner featured on the Canadian 10-cent coin.

As a child, she would pay 10 cents to watch silent black-and-white Westerns at the local movie theatre.

“There was piano and the horse would run. It would just be wild, and you’d be sitting on edge of your seat,” she said.

Up until about a year ago, Robertson still lived on her own. She now lives in a care home where she has made new friends.

“What makes her unique is that she is herself,” friend Anne Jamieson said. “She’s not trying to be anyone else.”

Robertson is one of only a half-dozen super-centenarians — a title bestowed on those 11 decades or older — in Canada.

“People sort of respect you and ask you advice, and you’re so humbled, you don’t have any advice to give them,” she said.

Robertson may shy away from giving advice, but she did share this bit of wisdom — always tell the truth.

“I like truth. If there is a problem, you can face it. It makes you stronger.”

— With files from Linda Aylesworth